Fangs & Stingers
by aspiringactor
Summary: The question Peter Parker is faced with is: What makes a monster and what makes a person. But not everyone shares his point of view. PeterXJubilee.
1. Homo Nocturnus

**Fangs & Stingers**

He sailed through the air on a thin line of spider silk. He used the momentum that was generated by the swinging motion to propel himself high into the air as he launched another line, which latched itself to the highest skyscraper within range. Then the process started over again.

While many of the local heroes chastised his chosen mode of transportation, he found it rather relaxing. The simple swinging motion gave him time to think about the many problems that plagued him, like bills and work. The only notable trouble that was missing from the forefront of his mind was the matter of romance.

With his recent breakup with Carlie Cooper receding from weeks into months, it felt like there was a void in his life, which he began to contemplate as he swung through the night sky. _I need to hook up with someone who I can hang with while out on a patrol..._ He thought as sirens blared below him. He looked down mid-swing to see an ambulance tearing down the street. Based on the speed it was travelling at, Peter could tell that it was heading towards the injured individual. And he knew that the individual was in some sort of danger, as the ambulance was joined by six police cruisers. With perfect timing, he landed on the roof of one cruiser, earning an approving pat on the roof from the driver as the convoy sped around the corner. Several long, intense minutes followed as the convoy sped down the streets of New York before coming to a stop outside a large abandoned hotel.

"Someone heard screams coming from this block," one of the officers said as he got out of his car, and as Peter leaped off the roof. "And we know this place is a hotspot for drug lords from time to time. And that..." the man was cut off by a large van with tinted windows screeching down the road and pulling into the hotel's underground parking lot.

"Stay here," Peter barked towards the officers as he raised a hand. Although he had no official authority over them, he found he had a lot of credit with the NYPD, due to the amount of lives he had saved. Although it had been years since he had been on the inside of the vehicle that had just passed through, there was no mistaking it. Nor was there any mistaking who the driver was. _I really hope I don't get shot at like last time.._ he thought as he stepped into the shadowed halls. "Alright Castle, come on out!" he said into the blackness, "before I have to haul your ass..." His spider-sense forced him to abandon his sentence and roll to the side as a man in a business suit leaped out at him. The attacker hit the floor hard as Peter got to his feet, only to be attacked again from behind. This assailant was a woman in her mid-thirties who looked like she was in the middle of her morning jog.

Peter stepped backwards and slammed the woman against the wall as the business man charged. Peter struck out with his left leg, sending the man flying back as he relieved himself of his female attacker with a powerful shoulder-throw, but not before she dug her fingers through his mask and across his cheek.

_BANG! BANG!_

Both attackers disappeared into nothingness as a new figure appeared behind them.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Frank Castle,, otherwise known as the Punisher snarled as he ejected an empty shell casing from his shotgun and replaced it.

"I'm a real estate agent," Peter replied briskly, "and did you seriously just kill two people in front of me? You could be arrested and..."

"Do you really think I give a fuck?" Castle snorted with indifference. "Now why don't you get your little ass back to fighting fishbowl heads while I do what I do."

"No way in hell I'm gonna let you walk around here without a chaperone," Peter shot back as he searched for his two attackers, who had disappeared without a trace. "And as long as those two are alive, I might be convinced to let you off with a very stern warning."

"Pfft, whatever," Castle snorted as he attached a flashlight to the barrel of his gun with a metallic _click._ "Stay or go. I don't give a damn. Just be sure to stay the hell out of my way. I..."

"_Nnnnn-ggghhaa!" _An elderly Chinese man leaped down from somewhere unseen, Kicking Castle's chest and lunging for Peter. Barely able to twist out of the way in time, Peter countered with a sharp blow to the man's back, inadvertently impaling his attacker on a splintered two-by-four that was sticking out of the wall. Peter watched as the man disintegrated into dust before his eyes.

"What. The. Hell?" Peter muttered as he cast a sideways glance at Castle, who's expression broke from it's grim look to one of slight surprise. "That wasn't natural," he continued as he knelt down and pinched the dust that remained.

"Supernaturals," Castle muttered under his breath. "Not my department. Don't get yourself killed," He finished before turning around as he began to turn away.

"You just gonna leave me here all alone?" Peter retorted sarcastically as he straitened his legs and turned to face Castle's back.

"I'm not making you stay," Castle spat back as he turned down the hall, out of sight. "But that would never stop someone like you."

"Well damn, shit and hell," Peter said with a shrug as he gave his surroundings closer examination. _This looks like it could be the setting of a horror movie._ Only when the floor above him creaked did he remember the waiting first responders._ They'll get mowed down!_ He thought as he ran as fast as possible towards the stairs. He leaped down to the bottom floor and made his way towards the exit as something growled behind him. Peter managed to turn fast enough and throw a ten year-old attacker out the door and into the daylight. Tilting his head back, Peter was blessed with witnessing the sight of his assailant bursting into flames in front of the stunned first responders.

"Get out of here!" Peter shouted, knowing the danger of the situation, and how easily they'd be killed. _By whatever the hell these things are...think Parker. Wood and sunlight hurt them. Meta-human strength and speed. Sharp claws. You've either got rabid Twi-hards on your hands, have gone completely insane or these are real vampires. God I hope it's the second one. _ He thought as a fierce growl split the otherwise quiet street. Peter perked his head up, listening for the source of the sound, and discovering it was coming from the left, in a back-alley that was adjacent to the abandoned hotel.

The back-alley resembled the hotel in many ways. It was in desperate need of a makeover. Bricks where crumbling and graffiti covered everything in sight. Lining the exterior wall of one of the buildings was what remained of the makeshift house of one of the many homeless that plagued New York. Fortunately it looked like it had been abandoned for at least three or four months.

His attention was re-directed as a second roar split the air, this one coming from above. Acting quickly, Peter sprang up the wall in several long bounds. Long shadows engulfed him as the sun sank lower on the horizon, just below the city's horizon line. In no time at all he reached the top of the building, only to have a large dog leap over his head. Blood splattered over his lenses as the dog disappeared into the evening. He turned around to see a young woman slumped against an industrial-sized air conditioner. His heart skipped a beat at the sight of blood splattered down the side of the air conditioner, leading to the woman's body, which was face down in the gravel.

"Oh shit..." he gasped as he sprinted to her side. Immediately he placed his hand over the open wound on her neck. It was bleeding, but not life-threatening as long as he kept pressure on it. He took note of the presence of a green substance around the wound. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit." He continued as he checked over the woman's body for further injuries, discovering a broken arm and several abrasions along her arms, which twitched slightly. _Okay, gotta get her to a hospital...but if those where vampires then she'll...to many helpless patients to risk it. Not to mention the doctors might not be able to do much for her. Reed Richards might be able to help...but he's out of the dimension at the moment. Dammit..._ _I'll think of something, _ he thought as he sprayed the wound with webbing. He then hoisted her up on his shoulder and launched a line of webbing towards an adjacent building and swinging out over the street.

It took him several long minutes to reach his apartment's roof. He balanced the woman with ease as he opened the secret hatch and lowered her down, followed by his own body. Acting quickly, he rushed her to the only bed in the house and placed her moaning form on it after ripping the sheets off. Gingerly, he pulled back on her pink shirt's neck, nearly gagging at the sight of the wound.

"Hang on," he said softly, "I'll get something to clean that." He rushed out of the room and towards where he kept a first-aid kit. Rummaging through the contents, he pulled out a bottle of rubbing alcohol, medical tape, a bandage, a needle, syringe and thin line of thread before returning to the bedroom, where the woman had began to moan slightly.

"..._nngggmogan..."_escaped her mouth as her head flopped sideways.

"This is gonna sting a little," he inhaled deeply before taking the syringe and sticking it into her neck, around, but not in the wound. He extracted a sample of blood before dabbing alcohol on her neck. Immediately it began to sizzle, indicating the presence of bacteria, as he had feared. He then proceeded to tie the end of the thread to the needle before penetrating the flesh with it, doing his best to stitch the wound. Luckily he had had the foresight to take first aid classes in order to treat his own wounds he received while out in the world as spider-man.

"_ssseeeemmmmkkkklops?"_ the woman murmered as her arms flexed slightly.

"You're safe," he replied as he placed the bandage on the wound. "Can you tell me your name?"

"_Ggffffmmmggaan...?"_ was the woman's incoherent response.

"Okay," Peter said as he removed his mask, knowing that whoever she was, she was in no state of mind to remember things. Especially his face, so he knew his identity was safe as he reached for her jeans pocket. "I'm just looking for some identification.." he said as he pulled out her wallet and opened it, "...Miss Lee. You where attacked and I brought you here to get patched up."

"_ssssssssswha?"_ she replied as her eyes finally fluttered open, and he placed a hand on her shoulder. _"Icchhhggooo..."_

"You're in no place to move," he said softly but firmly. "I'm gonna keep you here for a while while you heal up. Then maybe you can tell me what happened." he finished before leaving the room, syringe in hand. He closed the door and moved to the phone and keyed in a series of numbers.

"I'd like to arrange a meeting with Doctor Curtis Connors please."

_**A/N: Well, what do you think?**_


	2. Symptoms

"Remarkable," Connors said as he stared into the microscope that had been provided. On the slide was a sample of the woman's blood that Peter had procured. "I...I've never seen anything like this in my entire life...simply remarkable."

"Dr Connors, focus please," Peter half-snapped. He was wearing his Spider-man suit so as to keep his identity secret from the man he had once respected. Even with Connor's Lizard alter-ego, the human half of his mind was nearly unrivalled in the field of biology. And that was why Peter was at Ravencroft institute for the insane.

"Yes...yes..of course.." Connors murmered as he used his remaining limb to focus the microscope's lens. Peter shifted his feet uncomfortably, he had been gone for three hours and was concerned about his improvised patient's well-being. "The red and white blood cells seem to be fighting off a super-bacteria. It's...not my forte, but I don't think this particular genus has been discovered. We need to get this to..."

"We need to find out what it is," Peter replied sternly.

"Yes...yes..." Connors said as he straitened his back. "As far as I can tell, this sample has been infected with an unknown super-virus that seems to be making the red blood cells display symptoms similar to hemophilia."

"Is there a cure?" Peter asked intently.

"No...not that I know. In order to begin to draw conclusions I would first need to know how and when this sample was infected. And maybe even have access to a larger sample size..." Connors said as he ran his hand through his hair. "And access to a proper lab of course. This toy won't win me any Nobel prizes," he said as he tapped the side of the microscope.

"Doctor..." Peter began, knowing full well where that could lead. The last time Connors had had access to scientific equipment he had used it to crop up a new Lizard formula. "You know that's not going to happen. Not after last time."

"And yet you still came for my help," Connors snapped bitterly. "After locking me up, you of all people ask for my help. What makes you so sure I want to help?"

"Because you're a scientist," Peter shrugged, "I'd think you'd enjoy this sort of challenge. And if you help me, I might be persuaded to talk with the judge before your next appeal. In addition to the resident warden increasing your privileges." That last part wasn't a lie, Peter had spoken to the warden before meeting with Connors. And since Peter had saved the Warden's son before, the man had insisted on repaying him.

"Letting me outside on a leash won't..." Connors began with a scowl.

"Double sized room and a premium suite," Peter cut in as he gestured to the microscope. "All you've gotta do is help me with this."

"Hmph," Connors muttered before returning his gaze to the microscope. "I'll do my best, but I'll need regular computer access and a whiteboard. After moving to my new quarters, of course." Peter nodded approvingly, earning an inclination of the head from Connors in return.

"I will go talk with the Warden," Peter said softly before slipping out of the room and into the hall. He walked down the hall, past a series of rooms that contained a myriad of familiar faces. Many of whom hollered and gestured rudely towards him as he passed their rooms. It didn't bother him as much as it used to, although some of the names stung a little. Within two minutes, he reached the Warden's office and rapped on the door with his knuckles.

"Come in," a voice replied calmly from inside. Peter opened the door, revealing a white male in his mid-forties and a semi-muscular build. "Well?"

"He agreed to help me," Peter replied with a slight shrug. "After he gets moved to his new room. He also says that he'll need a computer and whiteboard." The Warden sighed as he stood up from behind the desk and walked to the window.

"That's a big risk you're asking me to take," the Warden said with reserve as he ran his hand through his hair. "After what happened last time..."

"I know," Peter replied honestly.

"And there's no one else that can help you?" The Warden asked.

"No," Peter said, "not at the moment."

"_Hmph,"_ The Warden snorted, "I'll provide the board and computer as long as he's under guard. That's all I can do."

"Thank you," Peter replied.

"No," the Warden said as he turned to face Peter. "Thank you, for everything you've ever done for this city." Peter simply nodded before turning out the door and leaving. He calmly exited the building and entered the open air that was New York city. Travelling by web-line, he was able to reach his apartment in a very short amount of time.

"And how're you doing?" he asked as he walked into the bedroom, finding Jubilation sitting semi-upright on a series of pillows. He also took note of the loss of pigmentation in her skin. And the fact that she was doing her best to stay out of the sunlight that was coming in through the small bedroom window. "Is that bothering you?" he asked as he pointed to the window, thankful that he still had his mask on, as the woman was looking right at him.

"Yes," the woman murmered in a low tone.

"So you can talk now?" Peter said with half a smile as he moved to close the blinds. "How's your neck feeling?"

"...hurts a little..." she murmered in a low tone as she shifted her gaze slightly.

"And how about the rest of you?" he asked as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"I'm cold," she said softly as she moved her arms feebly.

"Well lets see what we can do about that," he said as he moved a bit closer and removed one of his gloves. He then placed the back of his hand against her forehead, discovering it to be ice-cold. "Holy shit!" he exclaimed as he grabbed the nearest blanket and placed it over her form. "Hopefully that'll help," he said as he put his glove back on, "and I'll go get you some soup." He finished as he got up and made his way to and through the door and into the kitchen.

He opened the cabinet above the sink and pulled out a package of ready-to-make chicken soup. He read the directions and poured the necessary amount of water into a pot. He turned on the stove and began to wait. As soon as the water starter to boil, he poured the powdered mix in and began to stir. Five minutes later he had poured the soup into a bowl, grabbed a spoon and returned to the bedroom.

"Here," he said as he handed Jubilation the bowl of soup. Almost simultaneously, the doorbell rang. "Stay right here," Peter said sternly as he exited the room once more and went into the hall. He pulled his mask off as he reached the door and looked through the peep hole. On the other side was a woman in her early sixties and carrying several overflowing grocery bags.

"Aunt May," he said as he opened the door and ushered his Aunt, who knew all about his Superhero career inside. "I told you I can afford my own food and..."

"And I told you that you're to busy to do your own shopping," Aunt May said defiantly with a smile as she edged by him and into the kitchen. "So I decided to do it for you and...what happened to your face?" she said as she dropped everything she was carrying and brought a hand up to his cheek, where he remembered being cut.

"Oh...some guy with a knife," he lied, more due to his inability to properly convey what happened to his Aunt than wanting to calm her fears. "Got in a lucky blow."

"You need to be more careful," Aunt May said as she patted his injured cheek. Put something on that for..."

"_Blech!" _Echoed down the hall from his bedroom followed by "_hurk!"_

"Peter is there someone in..." Aunt May began as more retching sounds followed, cutting her off as she half-sprinted down the hall towards his bedroom, and he followed her. Glancing past his Aunt, who had rushed into his bedroom, he could see Jubilation hunched over the edge of the bed. The bowl of soup had been discarded all over the bed, and there was a trail of bile pooling underneath Jubilation's mouth. Aunt May knelt by her side as Peter grabbed the nearest wastebasket and placed it in front of her mouth as more vomit spilled outwards. Aunt May placed a hand on her forehead much in the same way Peter had and exclaimed, "we need to get you to a hospital dear..."

"Aunt May," Peter said as he placed a hand on her shoulder firmly, "I need to talk to you. Privately."

"Peter she..." Aunt May began, but stopped once she saw his grim expression. She followed him as he lead her to the other side of the room.

"I was out late last night," he said in a whisper. "West side of hell's kitchen. I followed a few cop cars to an old hotel. Inside...there were...people that weren't human. One of them hit me, that's how I got hurt. And I think she was bit by one of them."

"Then she needs to get to a hospital!" Aunt May pleaded.

"I took a sample of her blood to a...friend, and he confirmed that there's something in her system," he said with reserved caution, "something that was definitely transferred through an open wound, and I'm afraid it might be well...beyond the limits of what hospitals are equipped to handle."

"But why keep her here?" Aunt May hissed, "she could discover..."

"She also hasn't said more than five words together in a coherent sentence," he replied with a mild shrug. "I don't think she knows her own name right now. Let alone where she is. And besides...I should've been faster. I could've saved her."

"Well..." his Aunt said as she looked over to Jubilation once more. "I'll have to trust your judgement."

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

Something woke him from his deep sleep. Something was rattling nearby, he could hear it. He had been sleeping on the couch with his mask on, on the odd chance that his patient needed him. His intuition proved right, as once he got to his feet he could see a female form haunting the hallway.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked as he approached her. She rapidly turned her body and pounced, pinning his shoulders against the wall with surprising strength. He pushed back hard as she opened her mouth wide, revealing sharpened predator teeth, and elongated top and bottom canine teeth. She reared her head back in preparation for a strike that he managed to avoid by striking her ribcage with his knee, forcing her back.

He took the opportunity to push her backwards and rush over to the kitchen table, where his web-shooters where lying. She tackled him from the side, and both bodies tumbled to the ground as something swept across his chest, slicing into the flesh. He kicked outwards, earning a vicious growl in response as he alleviated the body that was pressing down on his chest. Rolling to his feet, he snatched a single web-shooter and slipped it onto his wrist. He spun around on a warning from his spider-sense, only to have a sharp pain shoot into his shoulder.

Doing his best to ignore the near-blinding pin, he lashed out with a fist, connecting with the side of her head. The blow seemed to be enough to get her to let go, and he used the opportunity to shoot out a blob of webbing that struck Jubilation's reared-back hand and pin it to the wall. He followed up the shot with more, aimed at her other hand and feet. Despite her struggling, Peter knew that she wouldn't be able to break free easily. Getting to his feet, he moved with expertise to the phone, which had been knocked off the hook during the fight. He keyed in a series of numbers that gave him a direct line to one of the only men in the world Peter knew who was smarter than Dr Curt Connors.

"Hey Reed," Peter gasped into the phone, "If you're not to busy, I've got something that might interest you..."

_**A/N: Well that bites huh? (Sorry, couldn't resist.) **_

_**Anyway, Pretty soon I'm gonna introduce a character who will be playing a major part in the story. He will be using a fake name, and I want you, the readers to help me by leaving your suggestions in a review. I need both a first & last name. **_


	3. Jubilee

"Ow," he muttered as Susan Storm-Richards manipulated his arm. Though he did his best not to show it, the pain was excruciating. The Fantastic Four had arrived on the roof of his apartment building less than five minutes after he called. It took Susan and her brother, Johnny another ten minutes to successfully move Jubilation to the roof without being seen by anyone, even though she had stopped struggling and had been relatively quiet for the duration of the journey to the Four Freedoms Plaza. He was now sitting on a bed in the infirmary, as he had been for an hour.

"It's definitely been fractured," she said as she ran her fingers up and down the length of his arm, avoiding the bandages she had applied over the puncture wounds. "Until we get a proper x-ray, I can't tell you the exact extent of the damage. I would also suggest you not use your arm unless necessary. But I also know you won't listen to me and you'll use it anyway." She finished as the door to the infirmary opened up and Reed Richards, otherwise known as Mr Fantastic, strode in.

"I've got good news, Mr Parker," Reed said with extreme confidence, while Peter hissed slightly on the inside. He wasn't comfortable with being called by his birth name while among other costumed heroes. Especially ones who where very public with their lives. "The sample of your blood has shown no deviation from the S.H.I.E.L.D sample we tested it against."

"In my experience good news always comes hand-in-hand with bad news," Peter replied as he shifted himself to become more comfortable. And from the somewhat grim expression on Mr Fantastic's face, Peter could tell he was right about something.

"You should have called us earlier," Reed said rather grimly as he set a folder of papers down. "If you had, I might have had time to enact a cure but right now..."

"...she's being a little uncooperative," Sue finished for her husband as she placed a warm hand on Peter's good shoulder. "She won't even talk to us. She barely looks at anyone. We tried to give her something to eat but she..."

"Vomited?" Peter cut in as he got to his feet.

"Yes," Reed said as he shuffled through several documents. He pulled several out and handed them to Peter, who examined them with a close eye. "Organic, processed and even water. Her body is rejecting it all. And nothing we've tried has been able to raise her internal body temperature more than a few degrees. It's not helped by the fact that she won't let us get close to her, Sue had to use a force field to take a blood sample."

"...so we where hoping you might be able to get through to her," Sue said calmly, with only a hint of reservation, stroking back a lock of golden blonde hair as she spoke. "Seeing as you have had the opportunity to get to know her. At least a little bit." Peter sighed internally, realizing it was the only way to do what was right.

"Well alright, I dunno how much help I'll be though," Peter sighed with a nod. He then proceeded to follow the husband and wife duo to the door and into the hall. The walls glistened with an uncommon silver sheen as he walked through, following the famed heroes. They took a right and then a left before coming to a stop outside a set of heavy metal doors.

"My spare lab," Reed said as he keyed in a series of numbers on a security pad. As soon as he finished, green lights flashed across the pad.

"You've got a spare lab?" Peter replied in mock half-shock, attempting to cross his arms, stopping only when a new bout of pain coursed over him. He grunted as Reed remained oblivious.

"Three actually," Reed said as the doors slid open, revealing an uncomfortably dark room. There where no windows, and only a single light shone overhead. Erie shadows where everywhere, surrounding him as he walked towards the centre of the room. A _clank_ signalled the closing of the heavy doors, reducing the already pitiful light. It was only because of his post-human eyesight that he could make out distinct objects and shapes. One of those shapes being a young woman sitting on a workbench with her head hanging low.

"Get out," she growled, "now."

"Look who's talking all of a sudden," Peter replied as he edged closer to her.

"I said go away," she snapped aggressively without raising her head. Even with the distance between them, he could smell blood. His blood.

"Look," he said as he continued on his way to her side. "I've just got a few questions that..." He could only watch as she moved at an inhuman speed towards him, grasping his throat with one hand and staring menacingly into his eyes.

"I could rip your throat out," she said, her voice sounding like a mix between a human voice and a tiger's snarl. Undeterred, he took in her extremely pale complexion. Her eyes glowed a pale yellow colour and the twin rows of predator teeth where gone, save for the slightly pronounced canines. "I can sense every one of your body's blood vessels. Your body's weak points. Where to strike to get the most blood gushing out. So go away, before I lose control again."

"So you are a vampire then?" he asked as he felt her fingers flex around his skin. Every fibre of his being urged him to distance himself from her, knowing just how dangerous she was. But another part of him looked into her eyes. He could see pain swimming in them, barely kept at bay by sheer willpower. After several minutes of tense silence, the pressure around his throat was alleviated.

"Yes," she muttered as she began to turn away. "Happy now?"

"No," He stated clearly. "I'm not. I should've been faster. Then you wouldn't be..."

"If you had been faster, New York would be down one superhero," she replied with a half grunt. "How's your shoulder?" she asked as she began to tap her fingers on the workbench.

"It's fractured," he said as he moved to be beside her. "A couple of lacerations. Nothing major."

"What I meant was..." she began to ask.

"I know what you meant," he cut in as he moved around her body, so she was forced to face him. "No sign of an infection."

"That's good news," she said with a inclination over her head. "I don't think Kitty would ever forgive me if I turned Peter Parker into a monster." A brief pause of silence was followed by "shit. I didn't mean to..."

"I take it you picked that up while at my super secret spider lair?" he offered with a tilt of the head.

"I...I dunno where I picked it up," she replied as she shifted her feet uneasily. "It's just stuck in my head for some reason." She finished with a slight sigh, "don't worry. I don't have anyone to tell your secret too."

"Oh come on, Jubilation," he said as he placed a hand on her shoulder, only to have her withdraw. "You've got to have someone. Someone who'll take you in. Any family?"

"I haven't talked with my family in a while," she replied as she started to walk away from him. "I don't think they'd want a monster lying around the house. And my family's not exactly normal. Besides, they might not be so lucky when I get hungry."

"So you need someone who can keep you in check," He said with a part smile as he patted her back.

"_Yeah?"_ She snarled as she spun around fiercely, causing him to back up slightly. He watched as her eyes took on a bloody red hue. "_Who's that gonna be? You?" _Almost instantaneously, her expression changed once more, reverting to a calm state as she fell to the ground in a heap, as distinct sobbing reached his ears. "I'm sorry..." she murmered as he sat on the ground next to her, "I...I didn't mean to..."

"It's alright," he said in as comforting a voice as he could muster. "It's gonna be alright, Jubilation."

"Don''t call me that," she replied softly.

"Well what am I supposed to call you if not your name?" He asked with a smirk, "Miss Sparkles-a-lot?"

"My...my friends used to call me Jubilee," she replied softly.

"Well, Jubilee," he said in a low tone. "I want to help you in any way I can. And so do my friends. Maybe, just maybe we can find a cure." That got her undivided attention.

"You sure?" she sobbed.

"I swear," he said as he wiped a tear from her cheek. "But you're gonna have to co-operate a little by letting us run some tests on you." After a brief moment of silence, she replied.

"Okay," she said as she got to her feet. Together they exited the dark room, stopping only to let their eyes readjust to the bright light. Susan was waiting for them on a bench just outside the door, rising to her feet once she saw the two of them. Watching the invisible Woman's expression carefully, Peter was able to only barely register the brief expression of shock that crossed her face before she mastered herself.

"Well?" Sue asked with a neutral expression, looking from Peter to Jubilee, who looked in Peter's direction as she wrapped her arms around her body tightly. He nodded to her encouragingly as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Help me," she said in a soft whisper. "Please," she said, with more confidence.

"We'll do our best," Sue said with a warm nod as she indicated they follow her. Down the hall they walked, until they reached the infirmary doors, and Sue stopped to speak. "Reed's not a specialist in biochemistry, so he called an expert. Unfortunately, the expert is not available for at least a week or two. In the meantime all we can do is run some small tests."

"I understand," Jubilee said softly as she clutched her body even tighter.

"Good," Sue said with a understanding nod as she opened the door. "Let's get started."

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Three days later, he was walking down the street, past several street vendors who where selling a myriad of products, from sunscreen and sunglasses to miniature statue of liberties and postcards. He smiled as he listened to the cries for money. But his happiness disappeared when he thought about Jubilee, who was unable to go out in the sun. All because he had been a little to slow.

He sighed, remembering the tense feeling in the air that hung in the air whenever ether Reed or Sue was preforming some sort of test on Jubilee. More than once, an argument had broken out between either Peter and Reed, or Sue and Reed after the famed scientist called Jubilee's condition a marvel of science.

Fortunately, his thoughts where interrupted by a familiar voice on a television.

"We are just getting word that the menace known as 'The Lizard' has escaped from Ravencroft institute. He has since disappeared into the sewers and..." That was all he needed to hear. He bounded into the nearest alleyway and began to change, discarding his civilian clothing and replacing it with his Spider-man suit. As he began to ascend the wall, something buzzed in his pocket. He pulled the vibrating device out, seeing that it was his handy New Avengers Id card, signalling that he was needed at Stark tower. Bounding off the wall and over the street, he began to swing towards one of the most lavish buildings in New York, despite the searing pain in his arm. In no time at all, he was standing on the balcony of the esteemed building that was owned by the golden Avenger.

"Dude, you're late," Luke Cage said as he slapped his hand down on Peter's injured shoulder.

"Oww!" Peter grunted as he rubbed the wound in pain. "Ow, ow and ow."

"Man up bug-boy," Cage said as he gave Peter a little shove, causing him to stumble backwards.

"Hey," Peter replied mockingly, "not all of us are bulletproof like you."

"You don't need to be," Cage grunted with a smile. "You dodge them, remember? And what happened to your arm?"

"Dog," he said, lying through his teeth. _They don't need to know. Not right now,at least. "_Big dog. Rottweiler and German Shepard mix got me a few days ago."

"Ouch man," Cage replied as Captain America and Tony Stark entered the room.

"Where's Logan?" Cage asked as he and Peter walked over to the table in the centre of the room. "I just saw him this morning kicking some punk's ass."

"He's got something to do for the X-men," Captain America replied as he placed a folder of papers on the table. "But we've got another problem. Seven inmates escaped Rykers, in addition to the Lizard's breakout a few hours ago."

"My bad," Peter cut in with a painful shrug.

"In your warped mind," Cage replied before returning his attention to the Captain. "Who else got out?"

"Coldheart, Crusader, Hydro-Man, Purple man, Electro, Crimson Dynamo and Shocker," Stark said grimly as he placed his armoured hands on the table. "Eight super-villains against the four of us. We're gonna have to break up into pairs and take them out. Cage, see if you can get Iron Fist and Daredevil on hand. Meet back here in two hours."

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

_**Clarification of Vampire Abilities/Characteristics/Terms for the purposes of this story (So no one gets confused, as they differ somewhat from the regular Marvel variety.):**_

_**Teeth:**_Vampires possess two distinct sets off teeth. A 'neutral' for in which every tooth appears completely normal, aside from sharpened canine teeth. But while enraged and/or in a feeding frenzy, every tooth sharpens into dagger-like points, and the canines elongate by an additional twenty-five percent of their original size.

_**Jaw: **_ The Vampire's jaw can produce a powerful bite force. Newborns produce a bite force of around 1000 psi (Lion) And older/more powerful Vampires can produce pressures of around 2200 psi (Alligator) As a reference, it takes about 160 psi to break the femur, 150 to crush the trachea and 36 psi to crush the human skull. Vampires also possess the ability to unhinge their jaw like a snake in order to encompass a larger area. (like a Peter's shoulder, for instance.) The Vampire's jaw also contains venom sacks that will secrete Ichor while feeding.

_**Eyes:**_ Much like the teeth, the colour and shape of the Vampire's eyes depend on their mood. Yellow and Green are very common neutral colours. But while feeding and/or angry, they eyes become blood red and the pupil turns into a slit (like a snake). Their already superb vision sharpens a hundredfold.

_**Skin:**_ Extremely pale version of the original pigmentation. I.E: An Italian Vampire's skin will be more of a cream colour, while a Vampire from the middle East would have a reddish-brown hue instead of bone-white.

_**Hearing/smell:**_ Both have been supercharged to extraordinary levels. Special sensory nodes in the nose can pick up the faintest traces of blood, and will allow the vampire to distinguish who is bleeding.

_**Physical Capabilities: **_The average strength of a healthy newborn Vampire (ex: Jubilee) is two times that of an Olympic athlete. Whereas older Vampires are much stronger, six or seven times that of an Olympic Athlete.

**Endurance:** A Vampire body acts a little but differently than ours, more like a machine running on a battery. Once their energy runs out, they need to feed or they will slip into a coma, which can only be reversed by force-feeding them fresh blood. As a result, Vampires do not need to sleep, but they can in order to save energy. Most Vampires need to feed after two weeks to 're-charge.' increased bouts of physical activity (such as getting in a fight & use of other powers) will eat away at their stores of energy.

_**Blood:**_ Vampire blood is a very dark green colour, so dark that it can be mistaken for black. The colour is due to the presence of a bacteria called Ichor, a substance that mutates an individual into a Vampire in the first place and gives them their powers.

**_Blood_ memory:** When they feed of a sentient being (human/other vampire) a vampire will experience flashbacks to the victim's life for several hours.

_**Other Powers/abilities:**_

-Shape-shifting into wolves, bats, fog & other humans (rare).

-More powerful individuals can fly for short periods of time.

-Some possess a form of hypnosis and mind control over weak-willed individuals.

-Pyrokinesis (Fire control) and Cryokinesis (Control over ice) is an extremely uncommon trait. Less than 0.1% of Vampires possess this ability, most of which are firstborns.

-As a result of increased strength in the vocal chords, Vampires can issue a powerful roar that can incapacitate nearby humans.

-All firstborns can also assume a ghost-state which can allow them to pass unseen in all the spectrum's of light and still interact with the physical world.

_**Weaknesses: **_Sunlight & silver. Ingestion of 'human' food will cause the individual to vomit violently. But some can stomach rare meats such as steak & pork. No reflection & cannot be photographed/videotaped on film, due to the silver content in the chemicals on the strip. (No such restriction on digital though.)

_**Note: **_A vampire's strength is dependant on two things.

How long it has been since they fed. Jubilee didn't completely grind Peter's shoulder into dust because she was not at full strength.

How pure the Ichor strain is. The strain becomes diluted when passing from individual to individual. So an individual bitten by a modern-day vampire today would never be as powerful as someone bitten by Vlad Tempus himself.

_**Terms:**_

_**Newborn:**_ Has been a Vampire for less than two years. Fifty percent are killed off within a month by other vampires, Vampire hunters, or suicide.

_**Full Vampire: **_Has been a vampire for more than two years, but less than a hundred.

_**Knight:**_ More than a hundred years old, but less than three hundred. Unisex term.

_**Ancient: **_Has been a Vampire for over three hundred years. Only about twenty-five percent of Knights Vampires make it to this stage, as most are killed by Hunters or other Vampires.

_**Lord:**_ Unisex term for the leader of a clan. Is the most powerful Vampire around. Only one percent of Vampires make it to this stage. The only threats a Vampire lord has to worry about is An extremely skilled Vampire hunter, The Vampire King, another Lord or a Firstborn.

_**Vampire King:**_ Ruler of all the clans. There has only ever been one Vampire King.

_**Vampire Warlock/Witch:**_ Vampire who is learned in the magical arts.

_**Clan:**_ A group of Vampires who live and hunt together.

_**Firstborn:**_ Vampires who where directly bitten by the original Vampire himself. Does not matter if it was a hundred years ago or the previous day. The term firstborn is used as a precursory term in a Vampire's title. Ex: _Firstborn Ancient, Firstborn Newborn, Firstborn Lord. _Firstborns are extremely dangerous to other Vampires, as they possess a wide variety of powers. No firstborn has lived beyond a week for over a century, as they are ordered to be executed by Lords, so as to avoid a power upset.


	4. Beast battles

"Okay man," Cage said as the limo came to a stop right outside the Baxter building and the two of them got out. "Spill it."

"Spill what?" Peter replied as they made their way to the doors of the building. It was dark out now, easily past ten. Captain America had asked the two of them to go to the Baxter building before searching the sewers for the Lizard.

"That wasn't a dog that bit you," Cage grunted as he pushed the door open. "I owned a Rottweiler once, and they don't bite hard enough to break bones. So spill it, what really happened?" he finished as they both walked through the empty foyer of the Baxter building. "Something that can do that much damage to a meta-human poses a serious threat to everyday people. You know that better than anyone, and if I have to go to Stark or Rodgers I will."

"Look," Peter said with a sigh, "It's a little complicated but I can handle it. No one is in any danger, I swear." He finished as Sue appeared at the end of the hall, walking towards them with a folder in her hands.

"Sue," Cage said, nodding in her direction as she approached. "Did you hear about the breakout?"

"I did," she replied as she glanced in Peter's direction with a hint of worry. "And I take it you two are here because you're stretched a little thin?"

"Exactly," Peter said as he shifted his feet uncomfortably.

"Well Ben's out for the night," Sue said as she shuffled the papers in her hands. "but I think John might be available to do some reconnaissance for you," she continued with a sigh. "Reed's up to his shoulders in work, but give me about ten minutes and I'll be available to assist you two on the ground."

"That would be stellar, mam," Cage said as he ground his fist into his palm. "Heads up, you might wanna wear rubber boots, cause we're going down somewhere nasty to wipe out the dinosaurs again."

"Sounds like fun," Sue replied with a tilt of her head. "Now if you'll excuse us, Mr Cage," Sue said politely, "I need to talk with Spider-man in private." She said as she took Peter's hand in her own and led him across the distance of the large, empty foyer.

"Her body's temperature is fluctuating," Sue said in a hurried tone of voice.

"So...she's getting better?" Peter asked, somewhat excitedly.

"I..I don't think so," Sue replied as she placed a hand on his good shoulder and continued, "as far as we can tell, it's only around her hands and forearms."

"Well what the hell would cause that?" he whispered pleadingly. "If anywhere is gonna heat up, it'd be the heart first, right? Blood-flow and all that. "

"I don't know what to tell you," she replied. "But I can tell being cooped up here isn't doing her psyche any good." Peter watched as Sue took in a deep breath before continuing, "She's coming. And before you can protest." She said as she placed a finger over his mouth, "Reed would never be able to handle her on his own. She'd be much safer travelling with us." Without another word, Sue turned on the spot and walked down the hall and turned a corner. As soon as she was out of sight, Cage walked over to him.

"What the hell was all that about?" he asked, rather gruffly.

"We're gonna have some company," Peter replied as his heartbeat began to pick up. He felt a bead of sweat build up on his forehead as the two of them waited. Less than five minutes later, Sue returned, this time with Jubilee, who was dressed in one of the Fantastic Four uniforms. She also wore a pair of dark sunglasses over her eyes.

"Who the hell is she?"Cage said, pointing at Jubilee as they approached. Peter could tell she had heard Cage's comment, as her head sunk even lower. "Sue," Cage said as Sue and Jubilee came to a stop in front of them. "We can't take her with..."

"Relax Luke," Sue replied deftly, completely dismissing his comment as she passed him by. "She's an up-and-coming meta-human. Her parents came to us about showing her the ropes. And that's why she's coming with. Never hurts to have an extra pair of hands while battling a madman."

"Hmph," Cage muttered incoherently as the four of them headed for the door, "what's your name, girl?" Jubilee answered with a mutter so low that Peter couldn't hear it. "Perfect," Cage said as they walked towards the nearest manhole cover. He lifted it up and said, "ladies and bugs first."

"You are such a gentleman," Peter said as he hopped down after Sue and Jubilee.

"Shut it bug," Cage replied as he descended the ladder, after pulling the cover closed. Darkness encompassed them, and Cage pulled a small flashlight out of his belt and clicked it on. "It stinks down here," he snorted as he cast the tiny halo of light around the dark tunnel. "Yo, nameless girl," Cage hollered, "you might wanna take off the glasses. Ya know, so you can see and shit."

"I can see fine," Jubilee snapped back. Peter noticed how she did her best to not move her lips. _She's probably scared shitless that...well...he'll freak. Which most people would, understandably. _

"Really, because I thought sunglasses darkened your vision. I don't have any on and..." Cage began, only to be cut off by a gluttonous roar echoing down the tunnel, causing all bodies present to freeze in position. Peter's eyes peeled for any sort of movement. To his left a family of rats scurried towards the nearest hole in the wall. Something plunked into the water nearby, and the squeal of a bat was heard in the distance.

"Maybe we should lure it above ground," Sue offered as she took a few tentative steps forward. "Where we can easily surround and.."

"It'll be to easy for him to escape while above-ground," Peter replied as a second roar followed the first. "In here we can contain him more easily with a good strategy and muscle."

"Didn't this guy tear up a skyscraper?" Cage cut in as a third roar pierced the air. Peter felt his spider-sense tingle, but a small, persuasive part of his mind said it might have something to do with the young woman to his left, who remained completely still. "With you ins..." A giant, green tail swept out of nowhere and struck Cage, sending him flying as a clawed hand struck Jubilee.

"You won't stop me this time," growled Connors, as he stepped out into the meagre light. He was crouched over, taking up a large portion of the tunnel. Peter guessed that he was at least eleven feet tall at full height. The Lizard's clawed hands seemed to be the same size as Peter's torso. "I've grown stronger in my exile, Spider-man."

"Doc," Peter half-pleaded, "what're you doing? Three more years in Ravencroft and you've been home free!"

"I will never go back to that abhorred place again!" Connors roared as he slashed outwards with his claws. Peter ducked needlessly, as he found himself surrounded by a force field, courtesy of the invisible woman. "Never!" Connors snarled as he raised both hands, ready to bring them down on the force field. Peter knew that the shield wouldn't last forever under a rain of blows from one as strong as Connors. But before any blow could be struck, Cage grabbed Connors by the tail and began to pull hard.

"Come and fight like a man," Cage grunted aggressively, "you fucking dinosaur!" He bellowed, as he ripped Connor's tail clean off. "Shit," was all Cage could get in before Connors tossed him down the length of the tunnel before retuning hiss attention to the shielded heroes. With a single, powerful blow, Connors was able to shatter the shield, but Peter managed to grab Sue and pull her to safety before Connors disemboweled either of them.

"You aren't thinking strait Doc!" Peter shouted as the menacing Lizard approached him cautiously. "You've gotta fight it! I know you can!"

"What makes you think I want to be weak, like you?" Connors growled as he brought his hand back for a strike. Peter ducked as Connors brought his arm across in a large sweeping strike that cut into the concrete, spraying stones everywhere. "I will usher in a new age, Spider-man. And nothing can stop me! You will become like me!"

"You've tried that already, Doc!" Peter replied as he ducked under a follow-up strike. "You could never get Lizard DNA to successfully bond with a human's for more than a few minutes while the pathogen was airborn."

"Oh..." Connors snarled mockingly as he took yet another swipe at Peter. "I have you to thank for that, Spider-man. You handed me the key to the next evolution of Humanity! Now, not only am I more powerful than ever, but soon I shall multiply a thousandfold! In hours, my serum will be ready! And no one, not even you, will stop me!" Connors finished as he raised both hands and struck the ground. The force of the blow was enough to send Peter to the ground, disorienting him long enough For Connors to gain a distinct advantage by pinning Peter with one hand.

"_Hhhrraa-aaccchhh!"_A terrifying and powerful roar split the air as a blur of blue latched itself to Connor's back and slashed it's arms wildly, spraying reptilian blood everywhere as Connors attempted to throw his attack off his back. Finally getting some purchase, Connors tossed Jubilee to the ground, but she managed to recover, issuing yet another earth-shattering challenge to the beast in front of her. Peter watched as she slid underneath Connor's legs and came up behind him, cutting deep into his hindquarters before he could fully recover. Shaking himself to alertness, Peter shot a stream of webbing towards Connors's feet, rooting them in place momentarily. He watched Jubilee use the Lizard's arm like a step-ladder and manoeuvre herself so that she was wrapping her legs around his head and slash and cut at him violently. All the while, both issued powerful bellows, as if each was seeking to force the other into submission with sound alone.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw both Cage and Sue get to their feet, with looks of absolute shock on their faces as they watched the two battle. Hot blood sprayed everywhere as a sharp claw dug into Connor's eye socket. In a fit of rage, the Lizard threw Jubilee off his back once more and slashed wildly as she landed at Peter's feet. Out of a need to protect, Peter deflected the Lizard's arm with a mighty kick. He followed the blow with a sharp strike to the hardened, bloodied jaw of the Lizard before launching a hail of webbing that covered the reptile's eyes and mouth. Something struck Connors from behind, forcing him down enough for a blueish field of energy to wrap itself around his monstrous form.

"What the fuck was that all about!" Cage shouted as he approached Jubilee, who was slumped down against the wall, her head buried in her hands. The blue suit of unstable molecules she was wearing was so drenched with blood that it was more red than blue. "I demand an explinat-"

"_Sccchhh-rrraaakkk!" _She screeched, jutting her head forward and bearing her fangs, causing the Hero for Hire to jump back a few steps. Peter stepped forward, in between the two once he saw Cage prepare to retaliate.

"Cage," he snapped, "stop."

"Did _you_ see what she just did?" Cage bellowed as his hands flailed in the air. "If you wanna talk about a menace to society, there's a prime example, right here!"

"I didn't..." Jubilee began to sob. Peter turned his head to face her, noting how her eyes glowed a bright yellow, even in the dim light. She was curled up in a vertical fetal position, rocking back and forth. "I didn't...I didn't...I didn't..."

"I didn't," Cage grunted aggressively as he took a step forwards. "That's what all the bad guys say," he continued as he pounded his fist into his palm.

"Luke, it's alright," Sue cut in from where she stood. "We're trying to help her in every way we can."

"I dunno about you Sue," Cage snapped back, "but I'm not just gonna let this go! I've got a wife and a kid on the way. I can't in good conscience..."

"This isn't her fault!" Peter shouted challengingly as he blocked the man's path. "You can't pin this one on her."

"She just wiped the floor with a ten-foot tall dinosaur. Imagine what would happen if that happened in a mall," Cage growled as he stared Peter down. "Or a train station. Or in the middle of the street. She's to dangerous, Spider-man."

"I can't just let you kill her!" Peter shouted.

"Get out of my way!" Cage growled as he gave Peter a hard push back. Not one to be intimidated, Peter stood his ground and shoved back even harder. "Don't make me do this, man!" Cage shouted as he raised his fist.

"_No!"_ Jubilee shouted from behind Peter as she got to her feet rapidly. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her eyes darken slightly, even as fresh tears fell down her cheeks. Almost immediately her expression relaxed itself from the tensed muscles to barely able to keep herself upright. "No, no, no, no, no, no..." she sobbed as she began to sway back and forth. Peter managed to catch her and pull her in tight.

"Cage," Sue quipped, "help me get Lizard to the authorities. And then we'll talk." Cage looked as though he was caught between a rock and a hard place as he looked from one vigilante to the next. Fortunately, he decided to follow Sue instead of fight.

"I'm cold..." Jubilee muttered with a slight shiver. He pulled her body away from his to get a good look into her eyes, only to notice the gash running across her temple. Greenish black blood was trickling down the side of her forehead. "I'm cold...I didn't mean to...to..."

"I know," he replied as he pulled her in tight, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "Let's get that looked at." He said as he lead her towards the nearest manhole cover. Slowly, he let go of her and began to ascend the ladder, with Jubilee following him. Together, they reached street-level and walked towards the Baxter building, which wasn't very far away. Fortunately, the streets where completely empty, save for the occasional straggler. But it wasn't the occasional onlooker that worried him,, it was the fact that with each step, Jubilee seemed to be getting weaker and weaker. By the time they reached the doors to the Baxter building, she was only able to stumble. Eventually, she collapsed on the ground entirely.

"Cold..." she murmered as her eyes began to droop. "I didn't...I didn't...I didn't..."

"It's gonna be alright," He said as he picked her surprisingly light for up and placed her over his good shoulder. Even through the clothing, he could feel her already cold body temperature begin to drop. He sprinted to the elevator doors and pressed the button repeatedly. They opened, revealing none other than Johnny Storm.

"Hey..." Johnny slurred as Peter hurried into the steel container and began pushing the button for the top floor. "Was goin' on man?" the human torch continued, oblivious of the fact that he was extremely drunk. "Yo...wha's wrong with Bella chick? I mean um..."

"No idea," Peter snapped as the doors opened and he sprinted into the hall, shouting. "Reed!" He shouted as he rounded a corner, heading for the lab, where he knew Mr Fantastic was working.

"...thirsty..." Jubilee murmered as he rushed to the doors of the lab, which where still some distance away, "...stomach hurts..."

"Hang on," Peter whispered reassuringly as he reached the lab doors. "Reed!" he shouted as he forced the doors open and rushed inside. Two bodies where within, one of whom was Reed Richards. The other was the blue-furred ape-like individual Peter had seen on television whenever the Mutant group known as the X-men made a public appearance. At the moment, Peter couldn't recall his name. Nor did he care to stop and remember it, as he had other things on his mind.

"Oh my..." the blue ape muttered as Peter swept one of the workbenches clear with one arm before placing Jubilee down on it.

"What happened to her?" Reed asked as he stretched his neck so that it hovered around the wound on her forehead, which obscured many of her features. Meanwhile his other appendages snatched at a nearby thermometer and stethoscope.

"We where down in the sewers," Peter said with a grimace as he squeezed her hand. Meanwhile Reed placed the stethoscope over her heart as Peter continued, "Sue thought it would be a good idea for her to come. We ran into the Lizard and..."

"Her heart rate is low," Reed cut in as he moved the stethoscope to a new position. "Dangerously so, and she's seemed to lost blood. When did she get that cut?"

"Jubilation!" the blue-furred man shouted as he forced his way past Peter to get a better look at her face and condition. "What happened to you?!"

"Ten minutes ago," Peter grunted as he felt for a pulse. "We where down in the sewers when the Lizard attacked. She..."

"Why was she down there?" the blue-furred shouted as he grabbed Peter's injured shoulder tightly and growled. "What did you do to her?"

"...she went feral on him. They tore up the sewer, and he caught her temple." Peter continued, unfettered by the threat he had been given.

"What are her other symptoms?" the blue-furred man snapped as he let go of Peter's shoulder and returned his attention to Jubilee. "Now!"

"Weakness of the limbs," Peter replied hastily, "low body temperature, and she also said she..."

"What?" the blue-furred man shouted as he bared a set of cat teeth towards Peter. "What other sym-"

"...she was thirsty," Peter said, as a realization dawned on him. He cast his eyes around for anything sharp. Finding a small box-cutter, he grabbed it and removed one of his gloves and web-shooters. He turned his arm so that his wrist was perpendicular with her mouth as he readied the knife.

"Wait, what're you-" the blue-furred man blurted as he made a grab for Peter's knife-hand.

"About the only thing I can think of!" Peter replied as he forced the man to release his knife-hand. With one simple motion, Peter sliced into his own skin. Pain lanced through him, but it was bearable. He watched as a single drop of his blood fell down the side of his limb and into her mouth, which was slightly open. Two more drops followed as her mouth edged open even wider, clearly showing off her elongated canines as her throat muscles clenched in a desperate gulp. "She needs to feed," he said softly as he lowered his wrist down, well aware of the dangers. _It's my fault you're in this mess. And I'll be dammed if I don't help you in any way I can. _

"Wait," Reed said as he stopped Peter's hand. "she could..."

"I know," Peter replied stiffly. "But I didn't get infected last time, right? And we don't have time to hook me up to a machine for a blood bag. This is all we've got!"

"Reluctantly I agree," Reed replied as he released Peter's arm, allowing it to complete it's descent. Something tingled up his spine as his arm brushed against her lips. He shuddered as his bare skin was gently caressed by her canines. What followed was not excruciating pain as he had expected, but rather a numb, eerily pleasurable sensation crawling up his arm. He felt her fangs sink into his exposed flesh as his arm grew heavier by the second. Even so, Jubilee did not open her eyes, instead focusing her remaining energies on the gentle sucking motion, whether by conscious will or instinct, he did not know.

"I have seen a medicine, That's able to breathe life into a stone, Quicken a rock, and make you dance canary. With spritely fire and motion, whose simple touch, Is powerful to araise King Pippen, nay, To give great Charlemain a pen in 's hand, And write to her a love-line." the blue-furred man said with a hint of shock as Peter felt his arm droop lower and begin to feel even heavier. With every gulp, Jubilee raised her head upwards, followed by her torso. "What is she..." the blue-furred man said softly as he wiped a finger over Jubilee's forehead.

"She is the reason I asked you here, Doctor McCoy," Reed said as he ran the stethoscope over Jubilee's heart once more. "She was infected with a pathogen that..."

"She was bitten by a vampire," Peter cut in as he felt his knees get weaker. "And turned," he gasped as his left knee gave out, "Jubilee...stop."

"Those words are razors to my wounded heart..." McCoy muttered in a low tone as Peter felt his eyes droop and his head swim. Soon words began to lose their coherence to him as a massive headache overtook him.

"Jubilee..." he pleaded softly as he made a sloppy grab for her jaw with his free hand. "...stop..." In the brief second before the world faded to him entirely, he saw her golden eyes flutter open and meet his own.

**_A/N: Concrit reviews are appreciated! _**


	5. Spark and Sparkle

Something trickled onto her tongue. Something warm. Something delicious. Something she wanted more of. To her, it was the most wonderful thing she had ever consumed. Ever. More droplets followed, like the tiny drops of rain before a storm. A storm that she welcomed with every fibre of her being. It felt like she had been starved and she was being offered a buffet. More of the delicious liquid filled her body, coming at her like a river stream in a forest. And that's when the images began to course through her mind.

"_Your mother and I have to go away for a while," a faint male voice said over the roll of thunder outside. Rain began to pelt the windows of the house as the man gave a weak smile. "We'll be back soon."_

"_We love you, sweetie," a woman said as she entered the distorted image. _

Pleasure began to course through her body as she felt herself getting stronger. She began to gulp down the liquid, wanting more than she could take in.

"_...be remembered as a great man." An unfamiliar speaker said as he stood at a podium. Everyone around her was wearing black. All their expressions where cast downwards, or directed at the two long boxes in front of the podium. "A great man who was taken from those he loved too soon..." _

She no longer wanted more, she needed it! It made her body feel like it was on fire, like she was unstoppable. She hoped the river would never run dry, as she didn't know how she would survive without it.

_Something hit her from behind. A basketball. Thrown by one of several teenage boys who where all laughing as she stumbled through the hallway. _

She felt herself going crazy with the intense pleasure. She gulped harder and harder, wanting more of the delicious liquid. Her tongue trailed up and down something rubbery as she squeezed for more.

_A wave of emotion hit her as she saw a familiar shape lying in the middle of the sidewalk. No...it couldn't be him. Not him. Please don't let it be him. Everything moved in slow motion, people passed by. Some she should have recognized, some not. There where police and paramedics and an old woman was crying. _

Something was calling out to her. A voice. It sounded distant, very distant. So distant that she couldn't understand what it was saying to her. Nor did she care. She felt good, and she wanted to keep things that way. She continued to suck the deliciousness as the images played out in front of her.

_There was a flash of gunfire. She could see an empty, dark building, with a single man looking strait ahead. _

"_You think I'm scared of you?" the man shouted as he raised his gun. "I'll show you! I..."_

"_You killed him!" another voice shouted. The second voice sounded very close and very familiar. But she couldn't quite place it as she watched the gunman cower in fear before an unseen threat. "So I'm gonna kill you!"_

Something brushed against her skin, sending a jolt of alertness into her being. She realized she was lying down with her eyes closed. She snapped her eyes open, only to be temporarily blinded by an overhead light. She raised herself to a sitting position as she felt something drop out of her mouth and hit the floor. Her eyesight cleared, and the first thing she saw was the horrified expression on Hank McCoy's feline face.

Hot tears formed in the corners of her eyes as she followed McCoy's gaze, which trailed from her face to a body lying on the tiled floor at her feet. The fact that she knew Spider-man's real name, but not what he looked like underneath the mask did not matter to her at that moment. Instead her attention was drawn towards the hero's bare arm, which was drenched in blood. Her perfect vision turned into a curse at that moment, as she could take in every detail. She could see separate streaks of the crimson liquid. She could see the four puncture marks as clear as possible. She could see the open wound begin to clot. But what was worse was the smell. It was intoxicating to her. It smelled more pleasant than anything she had ever inhaled before. It smelled like it had tasted, like the most pleasurable experience she had ever had. And that is what scared her.

_I...I...I actually enjoyed it...I enjoyed hurting another person..._She blinked the tears away as she tried to steel herself. She placed her hands over her mouth as she shook her head, and Hank placed a warm hand on her shoulder.

"Jubilee..." Hank said softly, in the warm tone an uncle might use while talking to a young nephew or niece. Which is how she guessed he saw her. Or used to, at least. But right now she couldn't bare to look at him strait. Hank was a pacifist, he wouldn't understand the horror she was going through. Then again, she wasn't sure she understood it all either. All she knew is that Peter Parker's blood now resided with in hers. And the only person in the entire world who remained optimistic about her disease, was now bleeding to death because she had been unable to restrain an uncontrollable biological urge. She closed her eyes and pulled her legs close to her chest, wrapping her arms around her body as she listened to the going-ons of the people around her.

"...blood pressure returning to normal," she heard Mr Fantastic say as she heard the door to the laboratory open, and the Invisible woman walk in. If Peter Parker had been the most optimistic to her, she had been the second most. She, like Peter, didn't treat her affliction like the disease it was, but rather a mere obstacle to overcome.

"What happened?" The Invisible woman demanded.

"She was unconscious, Mrs Richards," Hank said plainly. Although the good doctor spoke in a collected manor, Jubilee could hear the vibrations caused by unease in his voice. "We...we weren't getting a response and.."

"What happened to _him?" _the Invisible Woman cut in with an aggressive tone.

"He was able to devise the correct cure," The aloof Mr Fantastic said without a shred of concern in his robotic voice. "All our young patient needed was to intake nutrients derived from blood. He was kind enough to donate."

"Will he be..." The invisible woman began to say, only to be interrupted.

"I'm fine," Peter said. Jubilee allowed herself to open her eyes a crack to confirm this. There he was, standing on the spot, scratching his head as The Invisible Woman grabbed a bandage for his arm. "How're you?" He asked as he turned his white lenses towards Jubilee. "Are you okay?"

_You mean besides the fact that I'm a vicious monster who would rip out the throats of everyone in this room if I gave into an underlying instinct?_ She thought as she stared into the lenses of his mask, realizing where the images she had seen had come from. _Where they his memories?_ She thought, _the voice seemed familiar. And that would explain how I knew his name before..._

"Spider-man we've got a problem," The Invisible Woman said with urgency. "Luke Cage swore he was going to Stark and Cap about what he saw. The Avengers could come knocking on our door at any minute."

"You can't let them just-" Peter began to shout.

"Easy, Spider-man," the Invisible Woman replied calmly as she put a hand on his shoulder. "We'll do our best. But if they've got S.H.I.E.L.D's backing..."

"I will take her to Utopia," Hank cut in as he adjusted his glasses. "But it will take a few days to arrange transportation. And I will need to speak with the headmasters about giving her permanent quarters."

"How much convincing will they require?" the Invisible Woman asked intently.

"Cyclops should be easy to persuade," Hank said as he scratched his forehead. "It's Frost I'm worried about. And she might be able to turn Scott against me."

"I'm not going anywhere where there are people," Jubilee said firmly, speaking for the first time since she opened her eyes. "To many people. To much of a risk. I won't do it."

"Jubilee we.." Hank began as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"_GET AWAY FROM ME!"_ she snapped as she leaped backwards, off the bench she had been sitting on. She hit the floor with bent knees, in an attack position. Everyone in the room stared at her for a second as a cold blanket of silence covered the room. _I won't risk it. _She thought, _no, not again. _She turned towards the door and bolted through it. She ran down the halls, heading for the staircase that lead to the roof. With her enhanced biology, she was able to leap up several stairs at once. In no time at all, she reached the door that lead her to the rooftop. From the colour of the sky, she could tell that dawn was only minutes away. _If any of the stories are true..._ she though with a slight hint of relief. She spread her arms like a waiting cross, hopeful that sweet release was to come.

But that was not meant to be, it seemed.

Something tackled her from the side, sending her to the pavement. The two bodies rolled behind the industrial sized air conditioner as dawn grew closer.

"What where you thinking!" the unmistakeable voice of Peter Parker said with a slight pant. Jubilee didn't respond with words, instead choosing to push him backwards as she tried to make her way into where the sunlight would be in a few seconds. "Don't!" he cried.

"This way is better!" she replied as tears fell down her face. "I won't let anyone else die because of me."

"No one has died, Jubilee," Peter replied as he scrambled his way to her. _He's not going to make this easy,_ she thought as she turned to face the edge of the roof. She let out a sigh as she broke into a dead run, wanting everything to be over. She jumped out over the street as she felt her skin grow uncomfortably hot as the sun's first rays peeked over the cityscape. Wind rushed past her cheeks as she began her long descent to the ground below. Cars honked, people talked, dogs barked and birds whistled a merry tone.

She was more than halfway down when something wrapped around her waist, slowing her descent. She began to swing like a pendulum, towards the Baxter Building. Faster and faster she swung as her skin became red-hot. With a mighty _crash_ the two bodies broke through the glass and tumbled across the floor. She wound up underneath the body who had pulled her out of her release, finding that it was Peter Parker. His entire body had been sliced at by the glass, and she could smell fresh blood through his tattered clothing.

"No, get away!" she said as she kicked him off and began to bolt for the broken window, just as the sun's rays hit her entirely. She also felt something sticky grab her shoulders and pull her backwards. She smashed into the back wall with incredible force. Before she could recover, he pinned her against it. "I told you to get away!" she shouted as she struggled against his iron grip.

"No way," He replied.

"Now!" she cried out, "now...before I..."

"I'm not just gonna let you kill yourself!" He replied as he re-affirmed his grip with one hand, while the other pulled his mask free. Underneath the red fabric was a mop of brown hair and chocolate-coloured eyes. Eyes that carried a lot of pain behind them. "I told you I'd find a cure."

"I already found one," she snapped back, "and you don't owe me anything."

"I owe you a lot," he replied harshly. "I'm the reason you're in this mess. And I'll move heaven and earth to fix this."

"You're gonna fix the fact that I have this underlying urge to rip throats?" She growled aggressively as she continued to struggle. "You're gonna fix the fact that I'll burst into flames if I go out in the full sunlight? Or how about the fangs and the claws and the eyes? You gonna fix all that!"

"I'm gonna do my damnedest!" Peter replied, "both to make sure you get better and that no one else gets hurt because of me!"

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

_Two Days Later_

After much arguing, Peter had convinced Jubilee that the safest place for her would be his apartment.

"If I.." Jubilee had protested.

"Worst I'll get is another tattoo," he remembered replying as he folded his arms across his chest. "Maybe have to redecorate the place. But my point is, you've got nowhere else to go." That last statement was true for the time being. So far, the X-men hadn't been in contact. The knowledge that she was a former member of the elusive all-mutant team brought forth at least some variation in their conversations.

"So anything else you've been holding out on me?" he asked her as he drew a sample of her blood with a syringe. "You're not a mind-reader or anything are you?"

"What?" She replied, "no...not a mind-reader."

"Then how did you know my name?" he asked her as he deposited the syringe into a zip-lock bag.

"I...I dunno..." she shrugged honestly. "I just kinda...it just popped into my head, and somehow I knew it was right."

"That's creepy," he said as he grabbed a package of gauze. "If you aren't a mind-reader, what can you do?"

"I'm not..." she began, and Peter shook his head. He was more than aware of the devastation of the Mutant population after the events of M-day. Over ninety percent of the world's mutants had lost their powers.

"M-day?" he replied with half a sigh.

"Yeah," she said as her eyes cast downwards, and Peter put a hand on her shoulder tentatively. "I used to make fireworks sprout out of my hands."

"So you sparkled?" Peter said, in a vain attempt to cheer her up. "You're a vampire. Who could sparkle. Next you're gonna tell me you've gone to high school for over a hundred years."

"Shut it," she snapped as she looked over at the clock on the wall. Since she was vulnerable to the sunlight,, Peter had boarded up the windows. Now the only way to tell the time of day was the small analogue clock on the wall. It showed ten-thirty in the evening. "You're tired," she said with a slight shrug, "unlike me, you need sleep."

"Just give me a sec," Peter replied as he got to his feet and moved to the kitchen. "I really feel like an idiot for not coming up with this idea sooner," he continued as he opened the fridge and grabbed a small package from the back. He hid it behind his back as he returned to the living room, where Jubilee still sat. He watched as her nose twitched.

"Did you cut your-" she began as she clenched her muscles tight.

"No," he replied as he tossed the wrapped package to her. She looked at him for a second, and he nodded, saying, "open it." She did, and her expression changed to a confused one as she removed the outer layer of wrapping, which mainly provided thermo-insulation for the contents.

"What's this?" she said as she geld the bag of red liquid in her palm.

"Cultured blood," he replied as he sat next to her. "You say you're worried you'll loose control, and quite frankly I'm worried to. So I started to think, what's the best way around hunger? Being full. I figure if you have a constant supply, you'll be less likely to go completely berserk." He finished as he watched her bring the package to her nose and smirk slightly.

"It's yours, isn't it?" she said with a small smile as she gave a little sniff.

"Kinda," he replied with a shrug, "Like I said, it's a cultured sample. So it's never actually been in my body. It can be grown at a steady rate of about one of those a week and I-" _CRASH!_ The door splintered into a hundred pieces as a stout, burly man darted into the room. Using his superior reflexes, Peter was able to ambush the man as he entered the living room, pinning him to the floor.

"Logan!" Jubilee shouted, and Peter immediately recognized the man underneath him. It was the Wolverine, a fellow Avenger. Dressed in a plain leather jacket and ripped jeans, Peter barely recognized the man as he let him up, albeit with a tentative nod from Jubilee. "What the hell...?"

"I been lookin' for you for two days!" Logan growled as he pushed himself to a vertical base. "Hank told tha'..." he stopped once he caught sight of the package in Jubilee's hand. Before Peter could react, Logan spun around and extended a single set of his trademark claws, pressing them against Peter's throat. "What'd you do to her!"

"He didn't do anything, Logan I-" Jubilee began.

"I swear, _bug_, if you did anything to hurt her I'll rip out your-" Logan growled as he raised his other fist, only to have it grabbed by Jubilee. Peter watched as the feral mutant turned his head in surprise to see a pair of exposed fangs. Peter knew Jubilee's gesture was an intentional one, as she did her best to keep her teeth hidden from everyone, even him. "You've got some serious explaining to do!" he snapped as he released Peter from his grip.

"Logan..." Jubilee said as tears formed in her eyes, "I'm sorry. I'm so, so, so sorry I-" Logan's expression changed from that of a furious parent to a concerned parent as his muscles relaxed.

"'lee..." Logan muttered, "what happened to you...?"

"I...I...I..." she began as she slumped down onto a chair. "I was..."

"She was attacked," Peter cut in as he slipped into a spot beside her. "Just over a week ago on a rooftop ten blocks from here. I only managed to get to her before she bled out, not sooner."

"What'd he look like?" Logan growled towards Jubilee. "I'm gonna find this sonofabitch and-"

"I want a piece of him to," Peter cut in, "I-"

"No," Jubilee cried as she got to her feet. Her chest was heaving and she had a look of despair in her eyes. "I want you both to swear you won't go after-"

"'lee," Logan grunted, "if you think I'm gonna-"

"Promise me, Logan!" she pleaded as he grabbed at the man's chest with keen desperation. More tears flowed down her face as she continued, "please...promise me you won't go after him. He'll kill you. Both of you." At that moment it donned on him just how frightened she was of her attacker. _I think she might even be more scared of him than she is of herself. _And that was not a very encouraging thought.

"Alright kid," Logan said with a defeated sigh. "Frost and Cyke'll be here two days from now. They want to personally 'assess' your situation before making a decision." He said with a shrug before turning to face Peter, "I wanna talk to you in private, bug." Peter nodded, and he and Logan made their way to the door. "You got any idea what...?"

"I saw a big dog," Peter said as he crossed his arms. "It bounded past me before I got to her. That's all I can really tell you for certain. You still gonna go after-"

"I've got a contact who knows what he's doing," Logan grunted as he walked through the door frame, "East side of the Empire state building at eleven," Logan finished before he disappeared from sight.

_**A/N: Concrit reviews are appreciated**_


	6. Ex-man

"You ready?" He asked her as they slipped down the street. He was dressed in an old pair of jeans and a dark grey sweater with a hood. She, on the other hand, had opted for a pair of old black jeans of his, and a black leather jacket with a hood, which was pulled over her face. Together they darted their way towards the Empire state building on foot. While he understood that it would have been much faster by web-line, he didn't want to draw attention to himself by wearing his spandex suit.

By the nearby landmarks, he could tell that they where less than a block away from the supposed meeting sight. A small, evil part of him secretly wanted her to stay with him, even if it was only for a little while longer. It had been somewhat nice to have someone he could be so candid about his life with. Sure, he had his Aunt, but she had never been able to properly relate to his life as Spider-man.

He brushed those thoughts aside as they continued to walk. They turned a corner and the corner of the base of the Empire State building came into sight. His hand was resting near hers at the moment, and he felt it twitch slightly as they drew closer to the building. Already, he could make out a group of five people standing in a small cluster at it's base.

"That them?" he asked as he pointed, although he had his doubts. The X-men where a very secretive group who mainly operated in the shadows. And one of the five was wearing what looked like an expensive fur coat. Not exactly blending into the crowd in his mind, but Jubilee nodded nonetheless. "You want me to stay here?" he asked as they came to a crosswalk and stopped for the light.

"I...no," she muttered as the light indicated that they cross the street. With several long strides, they reached the collection of bodies. Aside from the woman in white fur, there was a tall, muscular man who looked like he was Russian. Standing next to him was a man dressed in a brown jacket and wearing glasses, who Peter remembered as being their field leader. Two women flanked him, one had dark brown hair with a white streak running through it. Peter remembered her name was Rogue, due to the famous history she shared with Ms Marvel. The final one was a purple-haired Asian woman. All of them, except Rogue, bore grim expressions.

"Jubilee!" Rogue exclaimed as she shot forward and embraced her in a tight hug. No one else showed much reaction, which unnerved him slightly. "Come on, darlin'" Rogue continued with a smirk, "we gotta get you into the jet pronto and...Oh! Hello handsome!" she finished as her eyes trailed from Jubilee to Peter.

"Not so fast," the woman in white said clearly. "We need to finalize our decision first."

"What?" Rogue replied stiffly, and Peter watched Jubilee tighten her jaw. "We already decided that-"

"That was _before _I knew she was capable over overpowering Spider-man," the woman snapped, causing a small ripple of shock to permeate the group as they turned to face Peter. In turn, Peter stared back at the women, no wanting to show weakness.

"Where did tha-" Rogue began, before a look of realization dawned over her expression. "Ohhh..., good goin' girl." She said as she elbowed Jubilee in the shoulder.

"Where's Wolverine?" Peter asked with a stern expression. He had expected the man to be there at least.

"He is otherwise occupied," the woman in white fur replied with half a scoff, as if she didn't believe Peter was worth giving the time of day. And that got on his nerves, giving him the notion that he wouldn't associate with this woman even under the best of circumstances. "Besides, in this matter he is somewhat emotionally compromised," the woman continued as she turned her attention to the man standing next to her, "and cannot be trusted to set aside his emotions and make a reasonable case."

"We don't need ah case made, _Frost_," Rogue snapped, "She's one of us."

"Was," the woman, Frost, replied sternly. "She was one of us. Cerebro hasn't registered her as a Mutant in over three years. So your case is invalid, _Rogue_."

"That doesn't change the fact that she's a former teammate," the purple-haired woman replied curtly. "The X-men are supposed to be all about being different."

"We also must consider her current condition," the stoically-faced Russian said. "We cannot afford to put others at risk because-"

"She's gonna have a steady food supply," Peter cut in, "so it's not like you need to-"

"If I wanted your input, _Spider_-_man_," Frost snapped bitterly as she scowled his way, "I'd ask for it. Frankly, I think it's rather rude that you're still here. It should be clear to you that your usefulness in this matter is over." She stopped and turned to the man beside her once more, "well Scott, it looks as though the decision falls to you. Two for, Two against." Peter watched as the man pondered, pacing a trail of several steps as he did so. The fact that he was taking his time with announcing his decision worried him slightly, so much so that he edged closer to Jubilee. Tense minutes passed as the X-men's leader remained silent.

"I..." the man muttered as he stopped mid-pace. With a heavy, defeated sigh, he continued in a much clearer tone, "the evidence... There really isn't any cure. And well..I can't...I don't think I can justify putting others in danger like that." He paused as a look of extreme guilt crossed his face, "I'm sorry Jubilee, but-" He never got a chance to finish, as Jubilee tore off down the street. Peter tore after her, but only after turning and giving the bird to Frost with both hands.

He turned a sharp corner, saying a silent thanks to whoever made sure that the streets where mostly empty, save for the occasional drunk. In no time, he caught sight of Jubilee, who turned down a alley. He followed her, and watched as she ascended a wall in a series of gravity-defying bounds that bordered on flight, not unlike his own vertical movements. He matched her vertical speed with his own, vaulting over the edge as she reached the opposite end of the building's roof, where a series of gargoyles spouted outwards. Jubilee was perched on the largest of them. He approached her with caution as he heard a series of expected sobs.

"How do you do it?" she asked as he settled into place next to her. "How do you put up with all the shit that gets thrown at you?"

"By talking," he replied as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "That's really the only advice I can give. Find someone you can vent on...heck, it doesn't have to be a person. It could be a statue, or even a wall. Or maybe someone's spirit, their memory."

"How long did it take you to figure that out?" she sobbed as she gripped the ear of the gargoyle. With a flex of her palm, she snapped it off.

"I guess I started about six years ago," he said as he gazed out over the city, letting his eyes fall on the George Washington bridge. "I just started talking to my loved ones, the ones who couldn't be there with me."

"I don't think there's anyone I could talk to about killing urges," Jubilee rebuked as she got to her feet.

"You could talk to me," he replied as he reaffirmed his hand on her shoulder.

"You've never wanted anyone dead," she said as she began to pull away. He stopped her, pulling her even closer and pointing westward.

"Ten blocks west of here, you'll find an old, abandoned mixed martial arts complex. Right after I got my powers, I wanted the money, so I started fighting. And I was good. One-hit knockouts good. But eventually, my Uncle found out and dragged me out right before a big match." He said as he tried to avoid swelling his eyes with tears. "We argued, and I ran away. He chased me. Obviously he couldn't keep up. And that's when it happened."

"What happened?" she asked softly.

"I'd gone into a convenience store. As I went to the counter, some guy came in with a gun and robbed the place," he said as he crouched down low. "I just let the guy go free. He ran out into the street and...and he...he shot him. Point-Blank. Right in the chest. I didn't sleep at all that night. Instead I chased the gunman down. I caught up with him in the early morning hours. That's when I started hitting him, breaking every bone in his body. When I felt that enough was enough, I started to choke him. And it felt good. Really good. I wanted revenge, and I was getting it." He paused for a second, letting the emotion sink in before continuing, "but then I looked into his eyes. He was afraid of me, of what I would do to him. I realized I couldn't bring myself to do what I wanted."

"What made you stop?" Jubilee asked softly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her wipe a tear from her cheek.

"I remembered something that someone told me once," he said as he gazed out over the city. "We aren't born inherently good or bad. It's the choices we make that determines how we are seen by both ourselves and others. I could have killed that man in cold blood, for sure. And maybe the world would be a better place for it. I could go and kill Octavious, Electro, Rhino, Vulture or even Kingpin. Fuck, I've thought about snapping each and every one of their necks on multiple occasions. Or beating them into a coma. Or..."

"Or throwing them off a bridge?" Jubilee murmered slowly.

"Or throwing them off a bridge," Peter replied with a whisper as a new platoon of horrible memories wrenched at his insides. He closed his eyes as a haunting laugh echoed through his mind, despite his attempts to shut it out. He felt a cold hand caress his back slowly in a comforting motion. He responded by clasping it tight."You know," he said with a whisper, "I could've sworn you where flying."

"I...I kinda think I was," she replied. "I can't really explain it but...I dunno. Vampires can't fly, not according to books and movies."

"I'll give Empire State University's Folklore & Mythology department head a call in the morning," Peter said with half a smile. "See if he can recommend any reading."

"Just no twilight," Jubilee replied with a sad smile.

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

"...Thank you, Professor Drake. Yes, I'll be there. Eight o'clock, understood." He finished before placing the phone on the hook, ending the call and turning to his improvised roommate. She was looking at him expectantly, waiting for more information. "I've got a meeting with him next Thursday morning."

"And you're sure he's the guy to go to?" Jubilee replied as she tugged at the leather jacket she was wearing. "I mean, he knows his stuff?"

"He published a book a few years ago," Peter said as he crossed the distance of the small living room to sit next to her, tugging at his muscle shirt as he did so. "Describing the evolution of the modern interpretations of numerous mythological creatures. And I also remember something about him winning an award for a paper he wrote ripping _Bram Stoker's Dracula _a new one." Peter watched her flinch, almost signalling to the knock that echoed from the door that it was time to come. Peter narrowly avoided a heart attack, thanks to his foresight to plan ahead. They had both decided to use the cover of a relationship if someone came knocking. They had also decided that it might be a good idea for Jubilee to have a pair of sunglasses on hand, to cover her ethereal-looking pupils. Particularly his Aunt, who was in the process of slipping her key into the lock and opening the door.

"Peter I figured you must be...oh!" Aunt may said as she turned around to see both of them sitting on the couch. A moment of awkwardness existed between them, broken only by Aunt May reaching a hand out and saying, "I'm sorry dear, I don't think we've been properly introduced."

"I'm um...I'm...Yeah I'm Jubilation Lee..." Jubilee said as she nervously reached a hand out for Aunt May to shake. Peter took note of the mumble in her voice, due to her attempt to keep her lips covering her teeth.

"And how long have you known my nephew, exactly?" Aunt May replied as they shook hands. At which point Peter knew enough to step in and say something.

"She knows, Aunt May," he said as he massaged the side of his face with his palm. "She knows my little secret." He then realized his mistake. By moving his arm, he had drawn attention to his shoulder, which bore a large scar, from Jubilee's original feeding frenzy.

"What happened to your arm!" Aunt May exclaimed as she made a grab for it, pulling the fabric away so she could get a better view. _Oh shit..._ he thought as he racked his mind for a good cover. "It looks as though something tried to rip it off-"

"Rottweiler," he replied as he tried to pull away. "Gang bust-up a few weeks ago. Got a little nasty."

"Why hasn't it healed over?" His Aunt asked as she ran her fingers over the length of the scar. "All your other wounds healed over in a few days. Why not this one." _Well it probably has something to do with __the fact that I was unintentionally bitten by the person sitting next to me. Turns out she was in turn bitten by a vampire and now I'm doing my very best to find a cure because it's all my fault. As usual. _

"Dunno," he replied with half a shrug. "I think it got a little infected." Fortunately, his Aunt stopped her inspection of his limb and lightly patted him on the cheek.

"You should be more careful," she said with a warm, but stern expression. "We only have one of you to spare," she said as she motioned to the doorway, where she had dropped a series of bags. "Could you help me bring these into the kitchen?"

"Sure," he said as he got to his feet, following his Aunt to the groceries as he did so.

"What are you thinking!" Aunt May hissed quietly, once they where beyond normal human hearing range. "That's the sick girl from two weeks ago, isn't it?"

"Aunt May," he sighed as he picked several bags up and headed for the kitchen, "do you trust me?"

"What...I...yes I trust you," she replied as she began unloading a bag into the fridge. That was when Peter's heart skipped a beat for the second time. Just on the inside of the fridge was a packaged litre of blood. And to make matters worse, it was clearly labelled. In bold letters that came from the hand of none other than Johnny Storm, the words 'So you don't snack on spidey' were written. "But my trust has it's limits," she said as she drew the bag out of the fridge.

"Aunt May I can explai-" he began as she stormed out of the kitchen and into the living room, forcing him to follow.

"Talk, now." Aunt May barked as she threw the bag at Jubilee, only to have it burst and spray over her frame. Peter watched as Jubilee tightened her muscles instantly out of pure reflex. He watched her nose twitch as she inhaled deeply on an instinct, not by force of will as her hand flew over her mouth. "I said talk now or-"

"Aunt May," he said firmly as he squeezed himself in between the two women. "Everything is oka-"

"I have questions, Peter!" His Aunt demanded as she shot over to the window. He had used duct tape to seal the window closed, so as to avoid letting the sunlight inside. Aunt May then proceeded to slip her hand under the tape and rip it free. "Like why your windows are shut so tight!" she said as she released the blinds, letting them fly upwards. In doing so,the whole room was drenched in the mid-day sunlight. Including Jubilee, who screamed in pain as she bolted from her seat and into the bedroom, leaving a faint trail of smoke in her wake.

"Aunt May stay here," he half-shouted as he followed Jubilee into the bedroom. She was curled up in the farthest corner. She was in the fetal position, with her hand covering a good portion of her face, including her left eye.

"_Stay away!" _she growled as she lashed out with her free hand. "Please..." she whimpered as Peter heard the distinct sound of someone entering the room from behind him. Apparently his Aunt was as good at listening to other's demands as he was. "_Please..._go before I...before I..." she continued to plead.

"What happ-" Aunt May began as she approached.

"_Stay away from me!"_ she screamed as she lashed out once more, this time aiming for Aunt May. Luckily Peter intercepted her arm with a firm hand as Aunt May stumbled backwards, catching a glimpse of the vampiress's bloody gaze.

"Just give me a moment and I will explain," he told his Aunt as he promptly escorted her out of the room. He closed the door behind him and moved towards the phone. Lifting the phone off it's hook, he then proceeded to key the series of numbers that gave him a direct line to the Fantastic Four's headquarters.

"Spider-man," the voice of Sue storm replied from the other end of the line, after only a single ring. "Those test results aren't-"

"We had a little accident here," he cut in. "She got drenched in it, and the curtains where opened by accident."

"Why would you-" Sue began.

"I didn't," he replied. "like I said," he continued as he looked towards his Aunt, who was still wearing an expression of slight shock. "There was an accident. She got burned, and is on the cusp of losing it. I was hoping you'd have a supply ready for her."

"You think she's in danger of attacking someone?" Sue asked politely. "We've got a small pack ready, as I had the foresight to prepare it from the excess. But I dunno if it'll be enough to completely satiate her."

"It's either that or I open up again, and you know she'd never agree to that," he said with a defeated sigh.

"I know. I'll bring it over, gimme five minutes." Sue replied as he heard several files shifting from her end of the line.

"Try and come incognito," he asked as he placed a hand on his Aunt's shoulder, in an attempt to calm her down, "might make things a little less awkward here." He finished as he hung up the phone, and turned his entire attention to his Aunt. "Have a seat," he said as he motioned to the chair, which thankfully, remained unstained.

"What is going on here Peter!?" she shouted as she took a seat, "Who is that girl? Who where you talking to? Wh-"

"Her name really is Jubilation Lee," he replied softly as he knelt in front of her. "Yes, she is the girl who was unconscious here two weeks ago. And I was talking to Susan Storm-Richards-"

"The Invisible Woman?" Aunt May asked.

"The one and only," he replied, "I went to them about Jubilee's condition the same day you showed up and-"

"What do you mean, 'her condition?" Aunt May demanded, "you told me she was bitten by a rabid dog or something."

"Well I lied," he replied with a sigh. "I wasn't completely sure what attacked her until that night. But now I am. She...Aunt May, she...she was bitten by a Vampire."

"_Then _why is she here?" Aunt May hissed, "she could hurt someone and-"

"The fact that she could hurt someone is why she's here," he replied as he got to his feet. "Better to keep an eye on her than have her running loose in the streets. Besides, she's got nowhere else to go. And I'm trying to find a cure for her. Because it's my fault, for being to slow."

"Oh Peter," Aunt May said as she pulled him into a tight hug. "What did I do to deserve a nephew like you?" she sobbed as she pulled him in even tighter. "You brave, wonderful boy."

_**A/N: I know, most of you are going to hate me for having the X-men treat Jubilee like shit, but it had to be done. (I couldn't very well just have them interact over Skype, could I?)But rest assured, some of them will be back. **_


	7. Dhapmir

"Professor Drake?" Peter quipped as he pushed the door to the classroom open. The room was lined with seats on one wall, while the other three contained a vast quantity of books, maps, framed pictures and trinkets from around the world.

In the exact centre of the room was an oak desk with extraordinary detailing. Lying on a stand on the right side of the desk was a sheathed sword made of steel. Peter was able to recognize the sword as being a sabre. Behind the desk in the left corner was a matching set of armour. Overall, the ambiance set by the decorations was fitting for a history classroom.

"You must be Mr Parker," a clear, calm voice said from the opposite end of the room, where another door was located, and currently opening. The swinging door revealed a man who appeared to be in his mid-thirties, with jet black hair and a slim but muscular build. He wore a simple black business suit with a red shirt underneath the jacket. "Justin Drake," the man said as a warm smile beamed across his face.

"Peter Parker I am," Peter replied as he shook the professor's hand.

"To be honest, Mr Parker," Drake said with a confused look, "I was a little surprised to get your call. If I recall correctly, you where always more science-oriented than mythology-oriented. Why the sudden interest?"

"Well," Peter said as he dug his hands into his pockets, "I'm trying to write a book on Vampires and am-"

"Fiction or non-fiction?" Drake replied as he crossed his arms.

"Fiction. But with as much source material as I can find," Peter answered as he gazed about the room. "Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be one definitive source out there. The closest I've gotten is Stoker's book. But then I remembered that paper of yours."

"Ah yes," Drake replied with a smile, "you read that, did you?"

"I look at Vampirism as a virus," Peter said as he relaxed his shoulders. "An interesting one at that to. Like rabies combined with cancer."

"Your analogy holds," Drake shot back with a smile. "Follow me," he said as he indicated towards the far wall. "I may have just what you're looking for...ah! Here we go." He finished as he pulled a large, thick book down from the shelf. He set it down on the desk and opened it to a marked page. "Though in this case, it is not the saliva that infects the victim. It is a substance that fourteenth-century hunters referred to as 'Ichor.'"

"They actually had a name for the virus?" Peter half-gasped, "that seems like a lot of work to do for-"

"You have to remember, Mr Parker," Drake said in a soothing voice, "that those people where much more inclined than you to believe in the actual existence of the _Homonus_ _Nosfaratus. _There were entire cults dedicated to both the worship and extermination of Vampire-kind."

"If there where cults," Peter asked, "than they must have documented what they believed."

"Which is why you're here," Drake smiled as he closed the book and reached for the shelf once more. "What I am about to show you is something very few people know even exists. Fewer still can actually read it," he said as he pulled another book off the shelf. Instead of pages of paper, this book was made up of several bound glass panels. After carefully placing it on the table, he opened it, revealing yellowed pages bound within the glass panels.

"What is it?" Peter asked as he leaned in for a closer look. Professor Drake was right, he couldn't read the obvious inscriptions etched on the page.

"It's called '_the_ _Darkhold_,' Mr Parker," Professor Drake said, his voice containing a drop of pride, "many hunters believe this was the magical script which gave Vlad Tempes his powers."

"Vlad Tempes?" Peter asked as he continued to scan his eyes over the pages before him.

"Tempes is Latin for 'impaler,'" Professor Drake replied with a shrug as he flipped a glass panel, revealing a new page. "I'm sure you're familiar with the Heroic Transylvanian king."

"Vlad the impaler?" Peter said as he straitened his neck, "vaguely. Is there any description of any supernatural abilities? That's been kinda hard to pin down."

"Well..." Professor Drake said as he ran his finger over a panel. "According to what I've been able to decipher from these pages, the older a vampire gets, the stronger they become."

"Stronger?" Peter asked, "as in physically?"

"Well yes," Professor Drake replied as he followed Peter in stretching. "But also in the obtaining of other, more meta-physical abilities."

"Such as...?" Peter asked, immediately biting his lip for being to forward in his question.

"Well for once," Professor Drake said as he closed the book with a smile. "Hollywood has gotten it's facts right. From time to time. According to my sources, once a vampire reached a stage referred to as _knighthood_ they gained the ability to fly. After that, they slowly developed other abilities, like control over fire and ice. Some could change shape. And it was rumoured that a vampire king could create storms and cast lightning."

"Seriously?" Peter asked, his mind running wild with possibilities. "But...I mean...some must have matured faster, right? How long did it take to become a 'knight'?"

"About a hundred years," Professor Drake replied. "And yes, you are right, Mr Parker. Some could mature faster than others. The virus strain diluted itself over the years, causing a decrease in their powers. Some say this was purposeful, so that Tempes was never challenged for control. But those he did bite directly where called '_'firstborns.' _And they where the only Vampires Tempes feared. All vampires feared them, in fact."

"Why?" Peter asked.

"Because of how powerful they are. Come with me into my office, Mr Parker. I've got something the biologist in you will simply love." He led Peter across the room and through the door. The room on the other side seemed to simply be a smaller version of the classroom. Two separate swords lay on the two bookcases that formed the right wall, while the left wall was covered by a map, an ornate painting of a royal-looking man and a computer. Another desk covered the far wall. On top of it was something Peter did not expect.

"What is tha-" Peter began, even though he knew _exactly _what it was.

"This, Mr Parker," Professor Drake said as he beamed a smile, "is why the University denied me tenure. It is the skull of a Vampire Lord," he said as he held the skull aloft in his hand. Peter could see the rows of shark-like teeth. Clearly this particular Vampire had been feeding when it died.

"So you're saying-" Peter said in as surprised a voice as possible, trying to sound like this information was completely new to him.

"That they are _very_ real, Mr Parker," Professor Drake said as he set the skull down. He then moved around the desk and pulled open a drawer. "They've successfully receded into society, hiding in plain sight. They've used the cloak of deception and myth very effectively. Only a handful know of the existence of Vampires. Fewer still," he said as he withdrew a long, wooden stake and set it on the table. "can fight them off. This belonged to Abraham Van Helsing. This is the stake that he drove through Tempes's heart."

"Shit..." Peter said as he stumbled back.

"Hm," Professor Drake replied with a smile, "most people fall over when I tell them this."

"I-" Peter began as he stepped backwards. His Spider-sense wasn't tingling, so he knew he wasn't in any immediate danger. But that didn't help his gut feeling of general unease. "I have to go...I...Thank you, Professor Drake."

"You've encountered one," Professor Drake said as he walked around the desk once more. "Haven't you, Mr Parker?"

"I..no..." Peter replied as he looked Professor Drake in the eyes, not wanting to show weakness or uncertainty.

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

"Feeling better?" he asked as he shut the door to the apartment. He set his keys down and walked down the short hallway. He stopped to admire the vertical lines in the wall that Jubilee had made with her bare hand.

"How did it go?" a voice replied as the person it belonged to stepped out of the kitchen, wearing a simple pair of jeans and a bubblegum pink long-sleeve shirt. Which he was certain didn't belong to him. "Your Aunt stopped by again today, this time with some clothes. She wanted to have a little private chat with me."

"And?" Peter replied with a hint of worry, "how did that go over?"

"Well she began by talking about her extensive collection of silverware knives," Jubilee said with a warm, half-smile. "Then she said I needed some 'true women's clothing', and pulled these out," she said as she gave a flighty twirl. "Then she told me that if I ever bite you again she'll personally stake me How did your meeting go?" He sighed as he led her into the living area, and the recently bleached couch.

"Well, he was definitely the man to go to on Vampires," Peter said was he looked into her eyes, which he could see tears forming in the depths of. "Manly due to the fact that he knows the truth."

"He...what?" Jubilee stuttered, "are you sure?"

"He had a skull sitting on his desk," Peter replied as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "And a stake he told me belonged to Van Helsing. And an ancient script that he says is the source of Vampires."

"And what else did he say?" Jubilee asked as she took his hand off her shoulder and put it in her own.

"Well..." he said, unsure of how to continue, "yes. Apparently, most people like you can fly. Eventually."

"What do you mean, eventually?" Jubilee asked, "wouldn't it be instantaneous like all the other changes?"

"No," Peter said as he reaffirmed his grip on her hand. "He said it takes most about a hundred years to get that powerful. But-"

"But I flew, you saw me I-" Jubilee began.

"...unless they are what he called a '_firstborn'."_ he replied as he cupped her hand in both of his. "he said that a firstborn is the most powerful kind around. They where the only ones who could defeat someone called Vlad tempes." He watched as she flinched at the mention of the name.

"I...I..I thought you might be hungry," she said as she got to her feet, "and I thought since I've been nothing but a waste of your time recently that I'd at least try and make you a brunch and-"

"When have I ever said that you where a waste of time?" he said as he followed her into the kitchen. Inside, he saw a platter of bacon, eggs and sausages prepared for him. He also saw a young Asian woman scrambling around, as if she was trying to make work for herself.

"Jubilee," he asked softly, "who bit you?"

"I don't wanna talk about it," she replied without turning to face him. So he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Jubilee," he repeated, "who-"

"_Stay away from him!"_ she screeched as she spun around, bearing her fangs at him in a clear show of force. "You wanna know how long I had to react? Huh? Less than two seconds. In less than two seconds, he dropped down on me. Then he picked me up like a rag-doll and walked to the roof. That's where he did it. That's where he turned me. Now I want you to promise me Peter, that you won't _ever_ go looking for him. Understand? Because...because..."

"Because you're scared he'll kill me," Peter replied softly. Knowing he had struck home with her fears, he slowly brought his arms up and around her frame, pulling her in tight.

"No," she sobbed into his shoulder, "I'm scared he'll make you like me."

"Is that such a bad thing?" Peter asked as he pulled away and lifted her chin with his forefinger. "Strong, smart, will-full and kind?"

"A monster who can hear your blood flowing through your veins," she replied as he felt her fingers curl against his chest. "Knows where to hit you to make you bleed."

"You know," he said with a smirk, "you're the life of a party like your name implies. But I think that's because you're cooped up here. So we're going out tonight, on the town."

"What?" she replied, "last time I..."

"No monsters, no sewers and no lizards," he said with a comforting expression, "and if you get stressed, we'll leave. Okay?" Quiet seconds ticked by before she replied.

"Okay."

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

Together, they ran across the rooftops, in a race to see who was faster. He would leap over the building gaps, while she simply glided over them with practiced ease. They only stopped as they came across a sight that was familiar to any of New York's street-level vigilantes. Six muggers surrounded a young woman who was obviously very pregnant.

"You wanna hang back on this one?" he asked with nudge, "or get your hands dirty in the thick of it?"

"I..." she muttered, "let's get our hands dirty." She said in a louder, more confident tone. With a devilish nod, Peter leaped down and kicked two muggers, sending them backwards, away from the woman. Jubilee came down hard on a third, causing the rest to scatter slightly. Their confusion did not last long, as they quickly re-grouped, even the ones who had been knocked down. They fanned out, encircling the two meta-humans and their intended victim, obviously intending to use their greater numbers to their advantage.

The largest of the group charged Peter, intending to bowl him over. With a quick sidestep and a mighty back fist, he was able to divert the attack towards the wall as another came towards him. A swift kick rectified that, giving him ample opportunity to watch Jubilee lash out with a fist, cleanly landing her strike on the attacker's head. But the man recovered sooner than expected, rearing his head back and letting out a glutteral, primal growl. _Oh shit!_ He thought as the other five muggers repeated the action.

"Looks like we're gonna eat good tonight!" the man Peter supposed was their leader snarled as he crouched down.

"Mam?" Peter whispered to the woman, "can you run?"

"I...yes..." the woman replied.

"Good," he said as his eyes flickered about, "we'll clear a path. I want you to make a break for it, understand?"

"Yes," she replied, allowing Peter to lung forward, tackling two of the vampires as the other four surrounded Jubilee. The woman who had been a victim made a break for it down the street, allowing Peter to re-focus his attentions, by snapping two heads into the ground before webbing another body. Despite his efforts, three bodies still menaced against one, bearing their teeth viciously.

One lunged forwards, but Peter watched Jubilee flip the body over her head, displaying an obvious knowledge of hand-to-hand combat. But that training was not enough to handle the second and third bodies, which pinned her, forcing him to act. He landed a clean kick to one of their heads, and a swift elbow to a shoulder. But then something raked across his back, followed by a vicious snarl that hurt his ears as his attacker's full weight came down on him. But only briefly, as a sound that could only be described as a angry tiger leaping through the air split the night air. He recovered in time to pull two vampires too the ground and pin them with webbing, effectively removing them from the fight as something hit him from the side before he could react. He stumbled to the side as sharp claws dug into his arm, stopping only when a smashed his side against the wall, sending his attacker sprawling.

Right to the feet of an African-American man dressed in black leather, with a gun strapped to his side and an unsheathed sword in his right hand.

"_Blade!" _the only attacker who remained standing shouted with a feral snarl.

"Make a move, _motherfucker,"_ the man who had been called Blade replied with a half-smile. Seconds later he lashed out with his sword, slicing the man in two. He pulled the gun from his waist and fired three times, striking the two pinned figures and the one who had latched onto Peter's side. The other two where nowhere to be seen, so the man trained his weapon on the only remaining Vampire, which Peter couldn't allow.

"No!" he shouted as he tackled the man, sending them both to the ground. Pain lanced up his side as Blade kicked him where he had been cut. "Run!" he shouted at Jubilee as he struck the man's side.

"Not today," Blade growled as he pushed Peter off of him and re-aimed his gun. One swift kick later and that same gun clattered to the ground. But Peter had no time to savour his small victory, as he felt something strike him in the stomach, then the head. His vision started to swim as he blocked a second blow to his head, returning the favour with a quick jab as he feinted out of the way of swinging metal. Then something struck him hard, sending him flying into a wall.

"It's over, _familiar!" _Blade shouted as he placed his sword's blade against Peter's throat, "I hate famili-" He was cut of by the _whooshing_ of a ball of fire striking him from the side.

"Get away from him!" Jubilee roared,, causing Peter to turn his head slightly to the left, to get a better look at her. Only to discover her right fist was encased in a ball of fire.

"As you wish!" Blade replied as he pulled a flash of silver from his jacket, only for the sharp _crack_ of a shotgun to fill the air.

"Blade!" a figure hidden by a shadow shouted.

"Not now Whistler!" Blade replied as he resumed his attack.

"Blade!" the man hiding in the shadow shouted, stopping the stake-wielding man in his tracks, "she's a firstborn! We need her alive!"


	8. Tempes Returns

"Let's get you looked at kid," elderly man with a loose white-grey beard and long hair to match said as he approached Peter with a first aid kit. Standing in the farthest corner of the dimly lit abandoned warehouse was a sword-twirling Blade. Jubilee had taken up a spot just behind Peter, careful to keep an eye on both of the strange men.

"I'm fine," Peter snapped back as he tensed his muscles, showing that he did not trust either of these men. He also took note of the older man's pronounced limp, even as he glared at him with venom in his eyes.

"Even if you're a regen like your file says," the man, who had introduced himself as Abraham Whistler, said as he grabbed a chair and spun it around. "The bacteria can allow for a nasty scar to form. Now sit your ass down and let me take a look at it." Reluctantly, Peter obliged, partly because he knew his Spider-sense would alert him to danger, and partly because he knew he had backup.

"The mask stays on," Peter snapped as he pulled the portion of his uniform that covered his torso off.

"Understood," Whistler replied as Peter sat down on the chair. Immediately, Peter felt clammy fingers slid across his back, spreading an unfamiliar substance across it's surface. "This is a homemade compound, consisting of rubbing alcohol, silver dust and crushed garlic," Whistler said as he continued to spread it. "Ichor has a natural enemy in the latter two elements. While the alcohol serves as both a disinfectant and a method of placement. It wouldn't do any good if you got yourself bit in the neck, but it'll keep the infection from spreading."

"I'd still be fine without it," Peter replied as a shiver travelled down his back.

"I'm sure you would," Whistler said as he stopped applying the substance. "Particularly given that nasty scar on your shoulder. I presume that's her work?"

"Does it make a difference?" Peter snapped back.

"Between you being smart or stupid," Blade snorted from where he stood, twirling his sharp sword in an intricate series of movements. "and I don't take you for a fool."

"Blade, be quiet," Whistler snapped as he ambled over to the nearby table. "We'll need all the help we can get with this."

"With what?" Jubilee replied as she shifted her stance. "And what makes you think I wanna help you?"

"Recent intel that we've been able to gather suggests there's something big going on in the Vampire underworld," Whistler said as he keyed in a series of numbers on a keyboard, allowing a chart to pop up on the screen. "...in the past three to four weeks to be exact. Your accident coincides with these events. That can't be a coincidence."

"People get bit every day, I'll bet," Jubilee replied as she leaned against the wall. "What makes me so special? Because I'm a 'firstborn'?"

"That's exactly why you're so special," Whistler said as he grabbed a file from the table. "Being a firstborn means you're special among Vampire-kind. Especially now."

"Why now?" Peter quipped as he stared the man down.

"Because they went extinct a century ago," Whistler replied as he handed the file to Peter. "Xarus, Dracula's son, gathered an army of firstborns to usurp his Father, Tempes. The battle spilled over into the human world in the form of the first world war. In fact, most of the warriors in the battle of Aragonne where vampires."

"How is that possible?" Peter asked, "they'd have burst into flames in an instant."

"Tempes, or Dracula, as you may know him, concentrated his powers and covered the entire city in dark clouds." Whistler said as Peter flicker through the file, confirming what the man had said and more. "Then he personally removed Xarus's head with his bare hands. Then he relinquished his control over the clouds, and every single vampire perished, except Tempes."

"I was told Tempes was killed by Van Helsing," Peter said as he put the file down.

"He was." Blade snorted as he sheathed his sword, "twice. He has a habit of coming back to life."

"He could control the weather?" Jubilee asked as she uncrossed her arms. "How the hell is that even possible? The effort would be enough to kill-"

"Kill you," Blade snapped as he crossed the distance between them. "He's had several centuries to gain power. Every time he feeds, he gets stronger. And he's not exactly shy about draining people dry. Wait a century, and you might be able to do the same. So I should finish you now and-" In a flash, Peter was at his throat, in a clear threat of strangling.

"What'd you just say?" he growled threateningly as the distinct sound of a gun cocking was heard behind him.

"Put him down," Whistler barked aggressively as Peter felt the barrel of a shotgun in his back, "we're not enemies here. We just wanted to confirm our suspicions."

"What suspicions?" Peter shot back, refusing to relinquish his stranglehold.

"That tempes is indeed in New York," Whistler said with a sigh. "And he's got some sort of plan, we just don't know what yet. But can we rely on you two if we need it?" Peter relinquished his grip on Blade and glanced over at Jubilee with slight concern. She nodded at hi slowly, so he turned to face Whistler.

"Under two conditions. First, if he," Peter said as he pointed at Blade, "tries to stake her or kill her in any way, I'm gone and I turn you over to the authorities."

"Understood," Whistler said, "unless she's attacking us. Then the deal's off. What's the second?"

"you dedicate resources to finding a cure," he replied stiffly, "and that's non-negotiable. And not," he continued as he glared at Blade, "death."

"Deal," Whistler said as he stuck out a hand, which Peter shook.

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_**Three weeks later.**_

"You've been avoiding us," the stern-sounding voice of Captain America said firmly. Peter turned to face him and the other two Avengers who accompanied him, Iron Man and Wolverine, who bore a gruff expression.

"I've been a little busy," Peter replied, cursing himself for being cornered on the rooftop.

"A month is a long time to not be in contact," Iron Man said firmly. "Especially after Cage brought us some interesting news about a friend of yours."

"And I'll tell you the same thing I told him," Peter replied briskly. "I've got everything und-"

"Harbouring a vicious-" Iron Man began to say, only to be cut off by Wolverine.

"Watch it bub!" the feral mutant growled as he pulled the armoured Avenger's shoulder back, spinning hi around for a face-to-face conversation. "I don't give a damn what happened to her, she's still an X-man and therefore-"

"We know Logan," Captain America replied as he paced, "he didn't mean that. What he meant was it's not a good idea to keep someone so dangerous loose in the streets without our knowledge."

"I can't believe you don't trust me on this!" Peter snapped as he started to walk away. "I can handle it! Just...just leave it alone!" He said before leaping out over the street. He began a swinging motion that carried him across New York city. In almost no time at all, he landed right outside his apartment's sunroof. With a easy motion, he slid downwards into the hallway, which had it's light on.

"Hey," Jubilee chirped as she came out of the bathroom, wearing nothing but a towel. Clearly, she had just gotten a shower. "How was your 'work'?"

"Good," he replied with a shrug, "busted up two drug deals and six muggings. But things got a little sour at the end," he said as he turned away slightly.

"How?" she asked, caressing his shoulder as she spoke.

"Well I had a little run-in with Cap and Iron Man," he said softly as he clasped her cold hand in his and turned to face her. "Logan was there to, and things...well let's just say we didn't agree on a certain issue..."

"You mean me," she replied as he watched her golden eyes drop down. "They want you to turn me in, don't they?"

"I'm not gonna turn you in," he replied as he lifted her chin upwards, so that brown eyes met gold ones. He trailed his thumb along her cheek, earning a weak smile as he felt soft, cold hands roam up and down his back.

"I dunno where I'd be without you," she said softly as she edged closer to him, tracing her fingers up and down his chest. "I don't know any guys who would harbour a vampire who has bit him twice. And is a straight descendant of Dracula."

"Hey, it could be a hell of a lot worse," he smiled as he brushed her hair out of her face.

"How?" she asked.

"Your last name could be Cullen," he said playfully before pulling her in tight, mashing his lips against hers. He shivered with delight at the sensation of her cold cheek against his. He felt himself being pushed up against the wall as a wet tongue trailed up the side of his face. The towel dropped to the floor as he pushed back slightly. She tore at his shirt, pulling it off with a passion-fuelled fever as he felt along her toned stomach and thighs, all the while locking his lips against hers.

With one arm, he picked her up and walked into the bedroom, caressing her entire body as he did so.

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

He woke up the next morning with a slight headache, but that was nothing out of the ordinary for him. He sighed as he rolled out of the bed, wiping the crud out of his eyes as he did so. He looked about, and realized he was fully alone.

"Jubilee?" he called out as he pulled on a pair of pants and shirt. "Where'd you go?" he asked as he walked out of the bedroom, doing his best to remember the night of passionate sex he had experienced. He noticed that several picture frames where askew as he entered the living room, "Jubi-"

"Hello, Mr Parker," Professor Drake said gleefully from where he stood, holding Jubilee by the throat in the air with one hand. A wicked smile crossed his face as a thin line of blood trailed down from where his elongated nails had pierced her skin. "Well, miss Lee, your usefulness in this matter is over," Drake smirked as he tossed her into the air with such force that she broke through the ceiling. Peter followed her, planning to cover her frame with his own, so as to avoid the sunlight.

But that wasn't necessary, as the sky was pitch-black. Under any other circumstances, that wouldn't be a problem. But it was only eight o'clock in the morning.

"You are a hard an to pin down, Mr Parker," Drake said as he leaped through the hole in the ceiling. "I'm surprised it took me this long to find you. Most don't live past their first encounter with me. I must be 'slipping up' as the people say. Unable to track two of my prey. But then again," Drake cackled as twenty more bodies appeared out of nowhere, each sporting bared fangs. "Now I have two peices of the puzzle. All alone and defenceless."

"Tempes," Peter hissed as he scooped Jubilee up in his arms.

"Attack," Drake smirked, and Peter's spider-sense kicked into high gear, he broke into a dead run over the rooftops, leaping over the gaps. He cursed himself for not having his web-shooters, as they would have increased his pace exponentially. Even though he could outrun a car at his current pace, he could feel his pursuers breathing down his neck.

Something hot struck him from behind, sending him sprawling on the ground, and Jubilee out of his arms. He rolled to his feet, swaying only a little before he was forced to kick away one pursuer. He spun around to see Jubilee getting to her feet, so he rushed to her and hoisted her into his arms as he leaped over the street. He landed hard, but kept running, even as something slashed into his shoulder. But a jolt of powerful electricity proved to be to much, and he was blasted off the roof of a building.

As he fell, he felt something grab his arm, and he looked up to see Jubilee gliding through the air. But his weight proved to be to much for her, as she began to descend rapidly. They landed in a heap in the middle of the street, and a small crowd gathered about them.

"What the he-" a middle-aged man asked as he pointed from the two people in the street to the darkened sky, but Peter cut him off.

"Run!" he shouted as he pulled Jubilee to her feet, and the two of them resumed their desperate pace. They turned a corner, only to have Drake drop down in front of them with a wicked grin full of sharp teeth etched across his face.

"Not since my son has a battle proven so trying," Drake snarled as he lunged forward, only stopped by a hard slash from Jubilee. The two of them used the distraction to resume running down the street, amidst the screams of terror. "You two, break off and cut them off!" Drake bellowed.

"We can't keep this up forever," Jubilee panted as they weaved around a series of cars. "where to?"

"Baxter building," he replied sharply, "it's closer than Stark Tower. Jus_ssaackk!"_ he shouted as a vampire leaped onto his back and clamped down with his jaw. Peter was only able to dislodge him by slamming into a wall. "left!" he shouted, turning as he did so, allowing for the building to come into his field of vision. He put on a burst of speed, as did she, and together, they burst through the revolving door of the Baxter Building.

"Hold the door!" Jubilee shouted as she spun around and followed her own command. Peter rushed to help her as alarms began to blare inside the foyer. He pushed with all his might, but felt that his strength was slightly drained from the wound he had received. Slowly, he felt the door begin to give.

Until it was encased by a blueish energy. Knowing they where safe for the moment, Peter slumped to the ground, and felt something cold press against his arm, where the bite was.

"What the hell is going on?" Susan Richards shrieked.

_**A/N: And we are reaching the climax of the story! Concrit reviews are appreciated! **_

_**Also, be sure to check out my newest story: Amazing Spider-man: Broken Mind & Memories!**_


	9. Cures

"Seriously!" Johnny Storm stammered as he paced the length of the lab, in which the six of them where gathered. "I mean, the whole sky darkening thing? Who the hell-"

"Dracula," Peter spat as he rolled his recently patched-up shoulder.

"What now?" The Thing grunted.

"You can't be-" Johnny began.

"I am," Peter said softly but surely as he glanced towards the woman to his left. He cringed at the sight of the slight bruising on her neck as he continued. "He was in my apartment this morning. Strangling her."

"Shit man," Johnny said as he leaned up against the wall. "You think I should go out and just burn him to the ground or something?"

"John," Sue said as she got to her feet, "he turned mid-morning into midnight. I don't think it'd be that easy. We've gotta call in the big guns."

"Wait!" Peter said as he got to his feet in desperation, "you can't just...they'll..."

"This has gone far beyond an isolated situation," Sue replied sharply but sympathetically. "And they've most likely noticed already."

"But-" Peter began, only to be cut off.

"Peter, if we don't do something," Jubilee said as she placed her hand on his shoulder softly, "people are gonna die."

"I'll make sure to explain the circumstances to them," Sue said before she turned away, only after giving him a small wink. "Ben, can you go check on how the door is holding up? Reed, I need some help with the Satellite dashboard. John...just go do something helpful."

"Oh come on Sue!" John began to plead, "it's the end of the world. Can't I just-"

"John!" Sue and Ben both barked.

"Right," he said as he sauntered out of the room, muttering under his breath. "Sure, Johnny Storm gets chased by Galactus and his heralds. But Spider-boy somehow winds up with the hot chick because _he_ can stick to walls and..." His muttering continued well beyond Peter's hearing range. But he paid him no attention, instead focusing on the woman beside him.

"You okay?" he asked her.

"The whole city is about to come under siege by an army of the undead," she replied as she stared into his eyes, "and you've got the balls to ask me if I'm okay? I think we've got bigger issues to work through here."

"I mean about seeing _him,_" Peter replied as he stroked a strand of her hair out of her face.

"I'll be fine," she said softly as she turned away from him slightly. "Never thought I'd be able to go outside like that again."

"I told you I'd find you a cure," he said as he placed a hand on her shoulder, "you can hold me to that."

"And if the only cure is death?" she asked, turning to face him as Sue re-entered the room.

"It isn't," he replied.

"We're leaving," Sue said firmly. "We're going strait to the Avengers Headquarters."

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All in all, it was a very uncomfortable situation to be in. He was boxed in against the wall by three very large Heroes, each of whom was angry with him.

"You lied to us," a very frightening-looking Luke Cage half-snarled. "You told us that everything was under control. Clearly it i-"

"To my knowledge it was," Peter replied curtly as he stood his ground. "Trust me, if I had kn-"

"We did trust you," Iron Man cut in as he stepped back. "To do the right thing and turn her in to the proper authorities. Now look at the boat we're in. Bunch of goddam monsters loose in the city. And I'm willing to bet it all started with _her._"

"You're half-right," A newcomer's voice said as the body to which it belonged dropped down from the ceiling, startling everybody present. Peter recovered from the shock quickly, recognizing the speaker as Blade. "She was there at the start of Drake's plans for the city."

"Who the hell are you?" Cage grunted as he pounded his fist into his palm.

"Do you really want to hit me?" Blade snorted as he dropped the briefcase he was carrying, "or get rid of the blood-suckers?" A moment of tense silence hung in the air, as the three uneducated Avengers contemplated their options. Luckily, at least two of them had some sense.

"We'll hear you out," Captain America said sternly, with Iron Man nodding in agreement.

"I'm a vampire hunter," Blade said briskly. "I-"

"You're not doing a very good job then," Cage grunted, as he motioned towards Jubilee. "There's one right there, kill it."

"I made a deal with him," Blade continued, cutting Cage's reply off. "He helps me work on a cure in exchange for her life."

"And how close are you to this 'cure?'" Iron Man asked as he lifted his faceplate.

"Done," Blade replied as he snapped the briefcase open. Out of the corner of his eye, Peter saw Jubilee jump forward in excitement. Inside the briefcase was a collection of small darts, numbering at about one hundred. "It attacks the virus in their bloodstream directly, reverting them," he said before turning to Jubilee, "but it only works on weaker strains. We tried it on your sample, girl. It didn't do anything. So-" He was cut off by the sound of a phone ringing in Luke Cage's pocket.

"Jess, I can't..._what?!"_He shouted into the phone as a look of pure terror crossed his face. "Hang on, I'm on my way now," he continued as he snapped the phone closed and turned to Captain America. "The baby's on the way. And the apartment is crawling with vampires. Led by some big guy. I gotta-"

"We'll all go," Captain America cut in. "Bring them back to the tower. There's no way you'd be able to do it alone."

"We're coming to," Peter said fiercely.

"Like _hell _she is," Cage growled.

"We're safer if she's with us," Blade cut in, "lets go! I've got a feeling Drake's there as well."

"One sign of-" Cage began aggressively as they all bolted for the door.

"And her head goes off," Blade replied as all six of them bounded down the hall, towards the main entrance., "I know. It's part of the deal." Peter fumed internally as he fell back, keeping pace with the dark-haired Asian woman who he cared about so much. He could see a hint of tears forming in her eyes.

"We're one step closer," he said in a re-assuring tone as they continued down the hall.

"And yet still not close enough," she replied softly as they turned a corner, allowing for the main doors to come into view. Just outside they could see people running in the streets, panicked.

"Stark!" Captain America shouted, "take to the sky. Try and co-ordinate some sense of civil stability. Organize a press conference or something." He said as they broke through the doors and onto the still-darkened street. "Change of plans, Cage. To many civvies in harms way! I'll send for a police escort if I can but.."

"I know," Cage shouted as he gestured the Captain off, "go! I'm down the street and to the left," he shouted back, towards the three who followed him. The hustled through the street, pushing through the crowd until they came to a dingy-looking apartment. Immediately, Peter could see the shattered windows, and could hear the people screaming from inside.

"You three," he shouted, "take the stairs. I'll head up the wall. Fourth floor, right?"

"Yeah!" Cage replied before Peter began to ascend the wall, and Cage, along with Blade and Jubilee, crashed through the front door. He paid them no attention, however, instead focusing on reaching the fourth floor, which he was able to do rather quickly. As he reached the balcony which he assumed belonged to the cage's, he was greeted by the sight of a _very _pregnant woman being menaced by Drake.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything," Peter quipped as he launched himself at the lord of Vampires, only to be swatted aside like in midair.

"Actually," Drake smirked as he approached, and Peter got to his feet "your timing is perfect. I can get the baby and you at the same time."

"Wow," Peter snapped as he sprung upwards, onto the ceiling, "you're going after the baby. And I thought Edward was a pussy."

"A baby that is no ordinary child," Drake hissed as he lunged out with a clawed hand, forcing Peter to drop down and roll. "A baby that, once fully mature. Will have unbreakable skin. A child like that could walk out in the daylight."

"The kid," Peter grunted as Drake took another swipe at him, "can walk out in the day light. So can-" he rolled between Drake's legs, "-you!" he shouted as he kicked outwards. The blow had no effect, and Drake spun around and grabbed Peter by the throat as the door to the apartment burst open.

"Let go of him!" Jubilee roared as she burst forwards, crashing into drake, sending the three of them flying out, over the balcony and onto the pavement below. Acting quickly, Peter latched onto the side of the building, grabbing Jubilee's hand before they hit the ground. Drake wasn't as lucky. He struck the ground with force, remaining immobile as Peter and Jubilee descended towards the pavement.

"Shouldn't-" Jubilee said as she pointed upwards, only to be cut off by a concussive blast knocking them both back.

"That actually hurt," Drake snarled as he got to his feet, and a small crowd of onlookers surrounded them. "It's been a while since someone hurt me."

"Well," Peter mused, "you won't have to wait this time!" he said as he burst forward, thrusting his fist into the man's jaw. Again, Peter found himself being swatted aside. Only this time, something heavy pinned him to the ground and held his head in place.

"I'm going to enjoy this," Drake hissed as Peter struggled, doing his best to ignore the feeling of saliva dripping onto his neck. But no matter how hard he kicked or punched, he couldn't break free. Not on his own, at least.

"_Shhhrrr-aaacckk!"_ was followed by the pressure over his body being lifted as a shadow of a form leaped out of nowhere and collided with Drake. The two forms tumbled and slashed at each other violently, like vicious wolves. Hot blood smeared the concrete as Peter watched Jubilee drive her jaw into Drake's exposed neck. Killing him instantly. _"hhhrrr-oooggg!"_ She growled as cameras began to flash, and Peter rushed to her side, taking note of the fact that the clouds had begun to disperse. But as he got close, she lashed out at him, snarling as she did so.

"it's okay," he said softly as he grabbed her hand.

"Get..." she protested as the sun's ray's struck her face. Fearing the worst, Peter scooped her up in his arms and made a beeline for the nearest building. He reached the shadows with no problem before turning to face jubilee, who was smiling. That's when he noticed it. There where no burn marks. He felt her hand reach up the side of his face and pull him downwards, into a deep, passionate kiss.

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_**New York, year 3013**_

She stared out the window, over the pristine city, admiring the sparkling lights of the apartment windows. She had it all made, being the owner of a large industry, second only to Alchemax corperations. And she also knew that she was bound to attract the attention of certain individuals.

"Your suit has a nice camouflage function, Spider-man," she said, apparently to no one. Mere seconds later, a form materialized from against the wall. He was wearing a suit of blue and red, that had electric signals running all over it. "But you can't fool me. I knew the original."

"So are the rumours true then?" the new Spider-man said, with a thick accent, "you actually knew him? The first one?"

"I did," Jubilee replied. Although it had been almost fifty years since Peter's death, she still mourned him. "And I can honestly say that he would have picked someone just like you as his successor."

"And the other rumours?" the new Spider-man asked as he paced the length of the room.

"All true," she replied as she bared her teeth for a brief second. "Drinking Dracula's blood accelerated my own development. I became immune to sunlight and silver, so that I could walk about in the daylight."

"I'm here about the murders," The Spider-man stated, "three in the past month. All involve people being-"

"Sucked dry, I know," Jubilee replied, "It wasn't me. A few years after Drake's death, Spider-man was able to fashion a virus that would negate my bloodlust permanently."

"Are you sure Parker's-" the New Spider-man began.

"Please," she cut in, "respect his secret. He never told you his name in person. So you have no right to use it in that way. And yes," she continued, "I'm sure his antidote worked. I haven't had to feed in over eighty years."


End file.
